Tonight is the first night of Ramadan, a month where Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset. Normally, people would gather with friends and extended family to break the fast at an evening meal known as the iftar.
The stay at home order means Muslims in Michigan are having to limit their festivities to immediate family. But that isn't stopping people in Dearborn from spreading a little light during the holy month. We talked to documentary filmmaker Razi Jafri about a contest to find the best Ramadan light displays in the city.
Jafri is part of the Halal Metropolis project, which documents Muslim life in Southeast Michigan. Along with the Michigan Muslim Community Council and the Ramadan Suhoor Festival, Halal Metropolis organized a Ramadan house lights competition.
“I think right now a project like this is so important because we’re collectively facing this crisis. We just wanted to get together with these other organizations and create something positive,” Jafri said.
Read more about the project and see some of the Ramadan lights in the slideshow above. If you’ve decorated your house for Ramadan, you can enter the contest by sending a photo via this form. Judges will photograph the winning houses on May 11.
This post was written by production assistant Lia Baldori.
