Ramadan Around the World: A Book about Diversity and Inclusion

When I first saw Ramadan Around the World by Ndaa Hassan, what stood out to me was not the smiling moon, nor the hanging lanterns, nor the ethnic diversity of the children. What caught my eye most was the Muslim boy sitting front and center, and happy in his wheelchair.

Muslims have long fought, and continue to fight, for better representation in media, education, and other spaces. While recent years have brought us more diversity in terms of sheer visual representation, what many families continue to struggle with, even in our very own mosques and communities, is actual inclusion, especially for individuals living with disabilities and health challenges.

In Ramadan Around the World, the Ramadan moon not only guides us around the globe to peek at different cultural traditions during Ramadan, but we are also introduced to Muslim individuals living with disabilities and health challenges being unapologetically and seamlessly included in the season’s rituals, lessons, and festivities.

A Texan boy who uses a wheelchair helps his family to decorate the house and prep sadaqah jars. A Mexican boy with Autism helps his mother with his favorite thing: making tortillas. A hearing-impaired child in Scotland uses sign language with his family to praise Allah. A Turkish girl with diabetes takes care not to eat too many sweets during the street puppet show.  Even an elder in Madinah is depicted walking with a cane while he takes his grandchildren to get dates near the Prophet’s mosque.

In each of these glimpses, the children and family members are represented positively, without guilt or pity, helping send the message to readers that Muslims with disabilities are welcome, capable and just as much a part of making Ramadan traditions as anyone else.

To top it off, the book is beautifully illustrated with the colors, scenes, and vocabulary changing to represent the many parts of the world on the Ramadan moon’s travels, 13 different countries to be exact. Also included are a glossary and general information about the month of Ramadan. 

I imagine a book like this being a welcomed addition to any Islamic home library, especially for children and individuals who see themselves in the characters depicted. For those not living with disability, exposing our children to diverse experiences is just as important in order to help promote the understanding and empathy needed to work toward better inclusion of all Muslims in our communities. 

For parents who would like to take the book beyond a casual family read-aloud, the author has created resources and free printables based on the book to help you host Ramadan Around the World events at your local mosque, community center, school, or public library. 

If you’re interested in getting your family involved with helping to make our communities more friendly and inclusive of individuals with disabilities, please visit an organization that is doing great work in this area, Muhsen (Muslims Understanding and Helping Special Education Needs). 

Melissa Barreto is a home educating mother of five children and the Co-Founder of Wildflower Homeschool Collective, a homeschool organization based in Northern New Jersey.