Ramadan Mubarak

Last night's "I'm Your Neighbor, Portland" event was a rousing success. Over the course of the evening we had a steady stream of attendees for this Ramadan celebration and community education gathering.

Two books were featured, Out of Nowhere, a young-adult novel by Maria Padian, and Moon Watchers: Shirin's Ramadan Miracle, written by Reza Jalali and illustrated by me.

There was henna painting...

a talk about Islam in Maine by Reza Jalali and a panel about the cross-cultural collaborations that created the two books, moderated by Pious Ali ...

reading...

 

and a wonderful 8:15 sharing of breaking the fast with food from Tandoor Bread. 

Project Assistant Lanie Honda (l), Director Kirsten Cappy (r) and I (with our names in Arabic) were delighted with the warm, diverse gathering of neighbors, both new arrivals and longterm Portland residents.