Ramadan Mubarak!

2013-05-22 12.56.00 — The ceiling of the Şakirin Mosque in Istanbul, the interior of which was designed by a woman.

All of us at MMW wish you our very best this Ramadan – whether it starts tonight or tomorrow night (or even if you don’t actually celebrate it but are joining us for the ride!)

As you may remember, last year we marked Ramadan by taking a break from our usual media analysis and instead offering up a series of more personal reflections and memories that Ramadan inspires; you can find all of those posts here. We’ll be doing the same thing this year, and I’m excited about all of the posts and perspectives that we’ll be sharing. I’ll be adding links to all of this year’s posts at the bottom of this one, so that you can find all of our Ramadan posts in one place.We’ll still have our Friday Links posts as usual, thanks to Anneke, so you won’t be completely deprived of your Muslim women news throughout the month.

In case anyone needs it, below is the glossary of terms that I wrote up last year (and please let me know if there are any that I’m missing):

Asr – the third prayer of the day, in the late afternoon

Dhikr/zikr – translated as both “remembrance” and “mentioning,” usually a way of invoking God by repeating God’s name or certain phrases; the term also refers to gatherings in which these phrases are repeated collectively in a group

Dhuhr/zuhr – the second prayer of the day, in the early afternoon

Eid (Eid-al-fitr) – the holiday marking the end of Ramadan

Fajr – the first prayer of the day, beginning at dawn, when the first light starts appearing in the sky; this is also when the fasting begins

Iftar – the breaking of the fast (this word can refer to the time when the fast can be broken, or to the meal eaten to break the fast)

Isha – the fifth and last prayer of the day, at night

Maghrib – the fourth prayer of the day, at sunset; this is when the fast can be broken

Masjid – mosque

Suhoor/Suhur/Sehri – the meal eaten right before fajr (in other words, the last meal before the fasting begins)

Tarawih/Taraweeh – extra night prayers after isha, prayed only during Ramadan

And here are this year’s posts:

6 Tips for Discussing Muslim Women During Ramadan by Eren

9 Things that Make Ramadan Memories Special to Me by Yasmeen

Ramadan for One by Nicole

A Tale of Two Ramadans by Emaan

My Ramadan Media by Afia

Ramadan Reflection: On Faith and Trayvon by guest contributor Maheen Nusrat

Creating a Childlike Ramadan by wood turtle

Ramadan Resolutions, Revolving Revolutions: In One Year, Out the Other by Tasnim

Solitude and Family: The Best of Both Worlds by Izzie

In the Halls of the Hospital: My Decision Not to Fast this Ramadan by Amina

Dancing in Ramadan, Tapping into Prayer by Krista