Since the COVID-19 outbreaks have disrupted many of the traditional festivities of Ramadan—such as going to mosque and sharing meals with loved ones—one Michigan town has launched a sweet new initiative to celebrate the Islamic holiday from quarantine.
The city of Dearborn—which is known for having the largest Muslim population in the US—has been celebrating the holy month by inviting its residents to decorate their homes for the first ever Ramadan Lighting Contest.
Since the contest launched on April 23rd, more than 65 families have festooned their homes in lanterns, lights, and decorative signs.
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City residents can nominate their own home or their neighbor’s household for the contest by filling out the Ramadan Lights Contest nomination form before May 11th. Members of the public can then vote for their favorite households in each of the city’s 10 districts.
The contest winners will be announced prior to Eid al-Fitr—the celebration marking the end of Ramadan—and presented with a gift basket of goodies from a local restaurant.
Filmmaker Razi Jafri, who works for the Center for Arab-American Studies, launched the initiative in partnership with several local Muslim organizations in hopes of cheering Dearborn residents during the novel coronavirus outbreaks.
“This will help raise spirits by providing a positive, pro-social project for the community to get involved with,” Jafri told CNN. “It’s amazing because both Muslims and non-Muslims in the community are getting so excited about it. There’s been so much positive energy that has come out of this already.”
“This project is just the perfect blend of American and Muslim culture,” he added. “American Muslims are such an important part of the fabric of American culture and this is a great expression of that.”
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
(WATCH the video of the lights in action below)
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