On Being with Krista Tippett

Our 22nd voice in this series is Ilana Alazzeh, a student at Smith College in Massachusetts. Growing up in California, Texas, and Virginia, she talks about spending Ramadan with a family rich in religious diversity, and driving while singing Jewish and Christmas songs during the holiday season

Our 21st voice on this 11th of September is Anisa Abd el Fattah. She is an African-American woman from the Midwest who was raised in a family of Baptist ministers and converted to Islam 20 years ago. She's the founder of the National Association of Muslim American Women, and tells two Ramadan stories about an iftar faux pas and the beautiful recitation of her 7-year-old son.

14 Muslims, in their own words, speak about the delights and gravity of Islam's holiest month. Through vivid memories and light-hearted musings, they reveal the richness of Ramadan -- as a period of intimacy, and of parties; of getting up when the world is quiet for breakfast and prayers with one's family; of breaking the fast every day after nightfall in celebration and prayers with friends and strangers.

Muna Jondy is the 20th voice in this series. She's an immigration attorney who runs her own private practice in Michigan. Muna, who was born in the U.S., is one of nine children of immigrant parents. She says the simplicity of her faith streamlines her life, but that the society around her can make it difficult to raiser her children in an Islamic manner -- instilling values of kindness, consideration, and community.

The 19th voice in this series is Hussein Rashid, an Ismaili Shi'ah Muslim and professor at Hofstra University in New York. He recounts one of his favorite vigils of Ramadan, The Night of Power, and recites one of his favorite passages from the Quran, The Verse of Light.

Our 18th voice is Naazish Yarkhan, a writer and editor who grew up in Bombay, India and now lives in suburban Chicago. She tells the story of celebrating Eids in her native country and how much more joyous it is now in the U.S.

On this 17th day of Ramadan, Reuben Jackson, an African-American man who converted to Islam in May 2001. In the years prior to his conversion, he immersed himself in Islam's sacred texts and memorized prayers by Yusef Islam -- Cat Stevens. His Ramadan reflection tells about the support he received early on from friends at his local mosque to trainers at the gym.

Our 16th voice is Parisa Popalzai, an Afghani-American woman who immigrated to California after the Soviets invaded her home country in 1979. She is an American Muslim who didn't grow up with Muslim friends and, in the process, began to lose her religious identity. Her year of studying abroad in the world's most populous Muslim country gave her a new perspective on the month of Ramadan, and her religious identity.

The 15th voice in this series is Ny'Kisha Pettiford, an African-American woman who works for a health care communications company. She grew up in a Christian household -- her mother Catholic, her father non-denominational -- and converted to Islam while in college. She talks about how her family celebrates holidays and the cultural warmth of her local mosque during the month of Ramadan.

Our 14th voice is Steven Longden, a Mancunian who converted to Islam in 1993. He tells the story of dressing up for prayers at a local mosque for one of his first Ramadans and his recollection of a beautiful recitation of the Qur'an. He also shares his own Arabic recitation.

Yoga studios are cropping up on street corners across the U.S. Now there are yoga classes at YMCAs, law schools, and corporate headquarters. This 5000-year-old spiritual technology is converging intriguingly with 21st-century medical science and with many religious and philosophical perspectives. Seane Corn takes us inside the practicalities and power of yoga, and describes how it helps her face the darkness in herself and the world.

Our 13th voice is Nadia Sheikh Bandukda. She is a self-described "by-choice conservative Muslim female born in America, who studied in Saudi Arabia and Teaneck, New Jersey." She recently graduated from college with a degree in political science and now works at a non-profit focused on immigration issues, and is at work on her first novel. Her Ramadan memory is set in New York's garment district, in a furniture store owned by her father.

Our twelfth voice in this series is Sabiha Shariff, an Indian woman who grew up in Mumbai and has lived and worked in New Jersey for nearly 25 years. Now retired and living in Dallas, she is active in her Muslim community on issues of homelessness and domestic violence.

On this eleventh day of Ramadan, Nicole Queen, a native-born Texan who was raised Southern Baptist, speaks about the initial isolation of being a convert to Islam. While learning about the tradition, she found strength in the ideas and teachings of Yusuf Estes, a fellow Texan convert. Now in her late 20s, she is a practicing Muslim, active in her community in Dallas. She continues to photograph and blog about Islamic subjects.

On this tenth day of Ramadan, we speak with a Tayyaba Syed. She's a Pakistani-American living in suburban Chicago. "In my faith," she wrote to us, "parents are highly regarded; we have to honor and respect them unreservedly and treat them with utter kindness." Her Ramadan story revolves around her father.