n>Grieving the loss of a communal Ramadan, I found myself stuck with a self-created problem. Ramadan is the carrot I dangled before my daughters’ eyes when they stared longingly at gifts stacked under Christmas trees or at baskets of colorful Easter eggs. The math is unbeatable, I told them, Ramadan entails 28 nights of festivities followed by three days of gift exchange. During a pandemic, though, there are no gatherings after sunset for iftar, the fast-breaking meal, or rows of worshipers standing shoulder-to-shoulder in nighttime prayer. Fasting in isolation is depressing. Read Full Article »