That’s right, folks. Ramadan has begun. That means all of the able-bodied, adult Muslims in the world are abstaining from food and water from sun up to sundown.
This year instead of droning on and on about what Ramadan is to me, I decided to let my brothers and sisters chime in. I am questioning all who come in my path about all things Ramadan and serving up answers in a series called “Humans of Ramadan”.
This segment will go over the basics: What is Ramadan? Why is Ramadan? What is Ramadan to you? And the community has spoken:
As Ramadan 2014 progresses into its midway-point, most of us have established a daily routine that incorporates suhoor (pre-fasting meal before dawn), dua’a (supplications), salaah (prayer), dhikr (remembrance of God in word and action), and iftar (fast-breaking meal at sunset), often culminating with tarawe’eh (supplementary evening prayers offered during Ramadan) and witr (supplementary midnight prayer).
For most, iftar is a time we gather around the table with our family and/or friends, joyfully sharing food and fellowship. We laugh and talk about the day’s events; we contemplate our fasts and discuss stories of our Prophets (peace be upon them). And as we sit around our living rooms, lounging on sofas in post-fast dazes, we look at our children playing and the spirit of this blessed season overcomes us, and we say, “Alhumdulillah wa shukr!” (Thank you, God!)
Our children are the greatest gift Allah bestows upon us, and we owe it to them (and Him) to provide, support and protect them at all times.
Yet, not every child has a parent who can – or will – care for and love them. And so it is, at this time, I want to share with you, dear readers, a noble and worthy cause and opportunity for zakat (tithing) and sadaqa (charity) during this holy month: Home of Hope.
Photo Credit: Home of Hope
Home of Hope opened in 1991 in Beirut, Lebanon. Established by the Lebanese Evangelical Society (Christian-based, but it doesn’t matter – we’re talking about CHILDREN!), it “serves the misfortunate, abused, abandoned and orphaned children of Lebanon.”
It also provides a home and shelter for refugee children coming from neighboring at-war countries, such as Syria and Palestine. And one of the best aspects of Home of Hope is that it doesn’t discriminate based on religious affiliation. That’s right – they accept every child.
A 3-yr-old refugee arrives in the middle of the night/ Home of Hope Facebook
But the problem is they’re running out of room (or have possibly run out by now), supplies, and just plain financial support. As this month progresses, more and more children have been taken in by their organization, in an effort to save the kids who generally live on the street from being arrested. These are children who have no parents, whose parents are in jail for various reasons (sometimes legitimate, sometimes not), whose parents have cast them aside due to being illegitimate, whose parents force them out on the street to work and earn money for them.
Boys sleeping on mattresses with barely a blanket to cover them/ Home of Hope Facebook
Just a few of the problems they’re experiencing are:
insufficient heat during the winter due to not having access to a generator during country-wide electricity rations
lack of protein-based food supplies (i.e., meat)
shortage of beds and bedding
not enough clothing, including undergarments and coats, for children of all ages
These are children who, after reaching the age of adulthood and leaving Home of Hope, will never be considered legal residents or citizens of Lebanon. These are children who have no agency. Children who will always be at risk of arrest or detainment, simply because they’re alive.
What does Home of Hope do besides provide shelter, food and clothing for homeless/refugee/orphaned children in Lebanon?
Our aims for the Home of Hope are many and multi-faceted, but they all focus on creating a nurturing, encouraging, and helpful environment, which shall: first of all, help them to recover from the traumatic events which they have passed through; and second, to educate and raise the children to be intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually prepared to face an increasingly biased future.
Secure online donations are being accepted through Tying Vines. Go to https://www.tyingvines.org/donate/ and select Project 1302/Home of Hope. All donations are tax deductible.
To make a donation to Hope of Hope via bank transfer:
Lebanese Evangelical Institute for Social Work & Development
USD IBAN : LB43 0001 0005 5266 1512 0030 4001
LBP IBAN : LB53 0001 0005 5266 1512 0010 4001
SWIFT CODE : FSAB LB BX FRANSABANK– Hazmieh Branch
Contact Person:
Maher Tabarani
Email: mtabarani@lesociety.org
Phone: +961 71 798 879
And for the sake of Allah, please remember these children in your prayers and dua’a this Ramadan. . .and always!
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With Ramadan upon us (what’s Ramadan? Click here),
Muslims need to start thinking about how we will increase our good deeds. Savvy Muslims know that good deeds get more bang for their buck in Ramadan. Specifically, we need to think about how we will invest our charity (since Allah promises a serious return on our charitable donations, I like to think of charity as investment banking).
So going forward, during the month of Ramadan, we islamwiches (not to be confused with islam-witches) will be sharing our charity investment ideas with you in hopes to draw attention to some great efforts that need our support. Let the giving begin!!!
1-888-315-NISA (also 315NISA.com) is a Muslim women’s helpline in North America.
The helpline is operated by counselors who provide completely confidential and toll free support to Muslim women in crisis who feel they have nowhere to turn.
315NISA.com says, “Our principle is to be non-judgemental in our services. Our services allow for people to open up to our trained counsellors without worry. Our purpose is to assist in supporting, helping and creating a plan of action for the best possible solutions. We are there to listen when no one else is.”
Why is this important?
As 315NISA’s statistical research shows, many Muslim women feel uncomfortable or simply refuse to use resources outside of their religious and cultural spheres. Even when rape, domestic violence, depression and other serious matters are experienced by Muslim women, they feel silenced by familial, cultural and baseless religious pressures.
If our sisters are not seeking help, what is to come of them? They will likely (and many already have) face dire situations.
After reading the Statistical Research Report published by 315Nisa.com (you can find it here), I realized how serious the need for this type of resource for Muslim women is. Not because the report proved something to me, but because it reminded me of all the sisters that have come to me with similar problems. These sisters were looking for compassion, understanding and advice they knew they would never get from their families or religious leaders (a sad indictment of the state of our ummah (Muslim community worldwide))
The statistics reminded me of the sister who felt suicidal because she had been the victim of repeated sexual assaults at the hands of her stalker. She knew she could not divulge this information to her family because of their backward cultural understanding of honor and a woman’s virginity. This sister needed this service.
I was reminded of the sister who confided in the members of her mosque that a man in the community had raped her. Their response was not to comfort her and seek justice, as it should have been, as it is prescribed by Islam. Instead they accused her of wrong doing and made her feel like a pariah in her place of worship. This sister needed this service.
I was reminded of the sister who told me about the abuse she and other family members received at the hands of her father-in-law. Her father-in-law WRONGLY claimed that it was his Islamic right to do with his family as he wished. She understandably questioned whether she wanted to be a Muslim if it meant being at the whims of a man’s temper. This sister needed this service.
These problems are universal. Women from every culture, country, and color face these issues. But the problem in our communities is that women who face serious issues like these feel silenced. We cannot stand for this. We have to open up the dialogue and help our sisters. We must fix our problems. 315NISA is a starting point.
How can you help?
Give a sister in need this number 1-888-325-NISA so she has a place to turn.
Ask if you can post this number up in your Masjid.
Donate. Help 315NISA get the resources they need to keep this effort alive.
Fill out a contact form and see if you can be a resource to them. Offer your skills to them, I know they are in need of a professional video editor.
If our sisters are in need, it is our duty, it is our responsibility to provide for them.
If you are a Muslim woman in North American and you feel like you need someone to talk to about any challenge you face, please call 1-888-315-NISA. They are available during the times below and will have online chat available very soon, inshaAllah.
Like the post, share it, pin it, comment on it, and/or do whatever social media magic it is that you prefer. Find out more about us in the understandably named “About” page and browse other posts in “Table of Contents”.
With Ramadan upon us (what’s Ramadan? 
islamwich 