
When our friends Bassam Tariq and Aman Ali came to us with an idea for exploring 30 mosques in New York City boroughs during the 30 days of Ramadan, we were only too happy to help. Their
project was based on the idea that many Muslims rarely stray out of their comfort zones to explore how other Muslims from other racial, cultural, or sectarian backgrounds celebrate one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. It's a concept we have shared as we've tried to introduce mosque-goers to the variety of mosques in their area beyond those they may be familiar with. As Tariq and Ali began documenting their journey - using salatomatic and zabihah.com to highlight mosques and restaurants - they began attracting significant media attention from the likes of
NY1 TV,
NPR, Canada's
CBC and websites
Boing Boing,
Sepia Mutiny, and
Global Voices. The full account of their visits, broken down by borough, include interactions with imams, worshippers, and passers by of remarkable diversity, in a way that only New York City could produce - a testament to the diversity of America and of Muslims from the world over.