Each year, Ramadan arrives accompanied by familiar messages that flood our inboxes, WhatsApp chats, and social media feeds. From friends and family to social media, the message is always the same: Ramadan is a time for giving, connection, and spiritual growth. Each year, the usual rhythm of Ramadan returns, bringing with it the familiar routines of past years. We gather with loved ones, plan iftar and suhoor meals, navigate work schedules, and often extend a helping hand through charity or community meals. The certainty of Ramadan’s end, a relief from the fast’s hunger, offers lightness to the days. Like many, we might still view Ramadan through the lens of our childhood. Parents, grandparents, radio hosts, writers, and teachers have long shared with us generations-old narratives of what Ramadan means to them, reflecting their own times and memories. We inherit these stories as our own, even if they don’t resonate with our current reality. Yet this year, Ramadan arrives amidst a starkly different reality than our parents experienced. The story carries a heavy weight of suffering, with millions of people in Gaza facing the horrors of war and the pangs…
