"Lost to whatever the flavour of blame is at the moment: doomscrolling, the telly streamers, individualism promoted by late-stage capitalism, a society fractured by the cost of living. For a month, Muslims came together in the capital and put on iftars, the evening meal that breaks the day's fast, that reflected the world we want to live in: inclusive, often female-led and queer-friendly, properly diverse, rooted in generosity."
"Which all sounds deeply earnest, but believe me when I tell you that these were some of the most vibey events I went to last year. Communities such as Ramadan Space, grown on WhatsApp, negotiated a venue in Shoreditch and put on sold-out nights all month long. These became regular rituals for some, a wholesome bit of eat-pray-love that, as one hijabi student told me, felt like oxygen at a time when it felt difficult to come up for air."
In a year marked by the war on Gaza and rising Islamophobia, hundreds of Muslim Londoners gathered each night during Ramadan to rebuild community and connection. They hosted inclusive iftars outside mosques that were often female-led, queer-friendly and diverse, emphasizing generosity and non-judgmental spaces. Grassroots projects organized on WhatsApp and in unconventional venues produced sold-out events, feminist prayers in churches, creative meetups, wellness workshops mixing movement and meditation, political solidarity and Sufi dhikrs, and a Muslim coworking space for tech workers. These initiatives created regular rituals, spiritual sustenance and social solidarity amid societal fragmentation and hostility.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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