Muslim Youth: Ramadan a Month of Self-Improvement and Togetherness

Union City, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2012 -- Muslim youth expressed excitement and hope with the advent of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to a new TV program "What Ramadan Means To Me" aired by Shifa TV, an online Muslim TV network. The program intends to share real life Ramadan experiences of teenage Muslims living in both Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries. “Ramadan has a deep meaning for the youth of Bahrain and Portugal. It’s a time for family and worship. Through this program we want to inspire both youth and adults towards the modern day practicality of this immensely spiritual month,” stated Ms. Shagufta Ahmad, IECRC's Bahrain Representative.

Bahraini and Portuguese youth ages 10-19 participated in the program. Bahrain is a predominantly Muslim country and the month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and worship, started on Friday July 20th. Portugal has a minority Muslim population. “I was both surprised and pleased at the universality of feelings that Muslim children feel towards Ramadan’ said Mr. Naveed Agboatwala, an official at IECRC. “The program is important because it allows Muslim youth to express the Holy Month of Ramadan in their own terms, and share directly with their peers, and the world.”

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which is a purely lunar calendar. Muslims abstain from food and drink during daytime hours and perform special night prayers. Several youth in “What Ramadan means to me” expressed the common theme of God’s mercy and forgiveness centered around this month. Samawat Malik, 19, from Bahrain said that Ramadan is an opportunity for Muslims to become better people.

Shifa TV is an online TV initiative with broadcast centering in the United States, seven production studios, five based in USA and Canada - Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Vancouver (B.C.) and Toronto (Ontario), one based in Karachi, Pakistan and one in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Its programming is primarily in English and Urdu. Shifa TV is a production of the Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center or IECRC (http://www.iecrcna.org), a non-profit, non-political, community-based, 501(c)3 organization providing Islamic educational, cultural, research, and community services in the USA (San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento) and Vancouver, Canada since 2002. For more details, please contact Shifa TV at info@shifa.tv