 |
30 Mosques in 30 Days
.jpg)
30 Mosques in 30 Days
A writer and a film maker take a tour of America’s mosques during the month of Ramadan, blogging about Muslim Americans and their stories.
During the month of Ramadan, writer Aman Ali and filmmaker Bassam Tariq have been travelling across America to break their fast at a different mosque every day for 30 days. Ali and Tariqs’ well-documented journey, better known as “30 Mosques in 30 Days”, builds a rich and diverse narrative of the Muslim American experience via blog posts, photos and videos.
To raise money for the project, Ali and Tariq used the website Kickstarter and raised over $12,000. They began their journey in Alaska on August 1, and will eventually end their 13,000-mile road trip in New York.
As of 2010, there are an estimated 2.5 million Muslim Americans, representing numerous ethnic backgrounds. The Muslim community is comprised of those who have lived in America for generations, recent immigrants and converts. From Ahmadi Muslims in Missouri to a Muslim village in rural South Carolina, Ali and Tariq have been highlighting the lesser-known faces of Muslim America that many people – especially non-Muslims – may not commonly associate with Islam.
These are some of the social media elements featured in this episode of The Stream.
-
-
This is their route map for the 30 days.
-
This picture, taken from their blog, shows men praying at a Mosque in Islamville, South Carolina.
-
-
Below is a tweet from Tariq about his intentions for the trip and the blog.
-
@DrSuad @raminashashibi I'm all ears. We are not trying to get a definitive picture on Muslim America. Its about good stories.
-
In Arkansas, Tariq used his camera to capture what it is like to experience an iftar in the women's section of a mosque. The comments section of the blog went abuzz with praise and criticism alike as the blog's visitors debated gender segregation and the inadequacy of the women's section in a Muslim place of worship.
-
Some readers found the post enlightening, leaving comments such as "A mature community needs to tackle these issues head-on rather than brush them under the rug." Others found it offensive, as stated in the tweet below.
-
Ali and Tariq met Basheer Butcher, pictured below in South Dakota. Butcher is a full-blooded Native American from the Sioux tribe who converted to Islam in 2001. He now lives in Sioux Falls and is active in the 3,000-strong Muslim community there.
-
The two met up with the Da'wah Ensemble in Atlanta, Georgia and sang hymns along with the African American Muslim a capella group.
-
There are many other projects world-wide inspired by 30 Mosques that attempt to visit mosques in their own communities during Ramadan and blog about it, including in Indonesia, Netherlands and Canada.
-
Thumbnail image: From the Facebook page of 30 Mosques in 30 Days, Ali and Tariq
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.
FOLLOW THE STREAM
