Join us for a wide range of programs led by community members this Ramadan. 

Workshop 1

Currents, Cycles, Clocks: Mapping Time and Patience 

Patience of the Red Sea with Khaled Alqahtani

Ramadan is rooted in patience, and so is the Red Sea. This body of water is populated with centuries of journeys that reveal patience not only as a mere virtue, but a struggle shaped by uncertainty and endurance.

This workshop examines patience through historical journeys connected to the Red Sea. Participants will read  accounts and browse maps from travellers who sailed the Red Sea to migrate, trade, gather pearls or just to wander, inviting them to reflect and visualize their own experiences and journeys of patience during Ramadan and beyond. 

February 25, 2026 

10pm – 12am

RSVP here. 

Workshop 2

Cycles of Renewals & Timekeeping: A Poetry Writing Workshop with Sara Hammami

Join for a 2 hour exploratory poetic workshop. Participants will read poems that look at how Ramadan, New Years, Nowruz, and other celebratory timekeeping allows for us to experience alternative periods of growth and change. Together they will examine how these poems function with similarities or differences, and then move into a generative poetry writing workshop.

Feb 26, 2025

10pm – 12am

RSVP here.

Workshop 3

Currents, Cycles, Clocks: Mapping Time and Patience:

When Time Behaves Differently with Khaled Alqahtani

During Ramadan, time operates differently. It stretches and realigns itself with our bodies and their rhythms. It rejects clocks that run purely on productivity and efficiency. 

By examining different representations of time across Arab philosophy, literature and visual art, this workshop invites participants to pause and reconsider how time is experienced by designing their own clocks and imagining an alternative version of time that is attuned to their needs. 

March 5, 2026 

10pm – 12am

RSVP here.

Workshop 4

The Anthropology of Islam: From Orientalism to the Discursive Tradition with Nesrien Hamid 

In this interactive teach-in, participants will learn about the discipline of anthropology and, specifically, the study of Islam and Muslims within it. We will examine the Orientalist biases that plagued the field and explore Talal Asad’s foundational interventions that have radically transformed the study of Islam and Muslims in anthropology and beyond.

March 6, 2026

10pm – 12am

RSVP here.

Workshop 5 

Zine-ing the Night: A Ramadan Self-Publishing Workshop with Shamael Mashat

Spend a quiet evening at the Jameel Library creating your own handmade zine — a small self-published booklet that captures your personal experience of Ramadan.

In this guided workshop, participants will use collage, drawing, handwriting, and simple book-binding techniques to turn memories, observations, and feelings into visual storytelling. You might document late-night walks, family gatherings, neighbourhood sounds, spiritual moments, or favourite Ramadan rituals.

No artistic background is needed — the workshop focuses on expression and experimentation rather than skill. Step-by-step guidance and all materials will be provided.

By the end of the session, each participant will leave with a finished zine and an introduction to independent publishing as a creative practice.

March 7, 2026

10pm – 12am 

RSVP here