Ramadan Tent Project Restores Our Faith in Religious Tolerance in the West
Aside from the patience and spiritual strength that is required to complete the month of Ramadan, it takes an extra dose of composure and compassion when helping uninformed Westerners understand the meaning of the holy month. For some, taking on the task is difficult, but for 28-year-old Omar Salha, the power of outreach was more than just the Muslim thing to do.
Salha had started the Ramadan Tent Project back in 2011 with a small group of college colleagues by inviting random people to join them on campus to break fast during Ramadan. Ramadan Tent Project’s incentive has since expanded widely and now invites the homeless and public to join in breaking fast, breaking barriers, and building bridges between communities.
Gathering for Salah at the tent day 1.
A photo posted by Ramadan Tent Project (@ramadantentproject) on
The postgraduate student at the School of Oriental and African Studies has praised Ramadan Tent Project’s reach for becoming so widespread, “we have served over 10,000 people and all were made to feel part of an extended family across three continents, in Europe, Africa and Asia.” By inviting non-Muslims to join in one the most beautiful customs in the faith, Ramadan Tent Project has opened doors of understanding and tolerance throughout the world.
Since expanding from its London roots to Manchester, Plymouth, Toronto, Portland, and Istanbul, Salha told Buzzfeed that he hopes “by laying the foundations of today, a legacy for the future will continue to grow enabling us all to realize that Ramadan is not a temporary increase of spirituality but an intimate insight of what you can do every single day.”
A photo posted by Ramadan Tent Project (@ramadantentproject) on
Ramadan in the West is arguably not as easy as fasting in the Middle East where society adjusts accordingly to the month by having shorter work hours, restaurants are closed during the day, and society respects those observing the month and restrain from eating or drinking in front of those who are fasting. By spreading awareness and empathy by sitting together as one species, one race, under a tent that is built under God’s love the Ramadan Tent Project has restored our faith in humanity and is one of the reasons we have not lost hope for acceptance of Islam and Muslims in the West.
WE SAID THIS: Where Is the Ramadan Spirit?
