From new fundraisers to event cancellations for extra reflection, Ramadan looks especially different this year.

The Ramadan Suhoor Festival in Dearborn usually attracts thousands of people to the Fairlane Town Center. Founder Hassan Chami said he canceled the event this year because he doesn’t think the joy is justified, even if the event were a fundraiser.

“I don’t feel like I would like to bear responsibility to host such a joyful Suhoor Festival at this time,” Chami told TMJ News Network in an interview on Sunday. “It’s a very somber period, and I don’t think it’s right. I don’t believe the money we raise for Gaza justifies the joy that is at this festival… I worry about having all this joy while our brothers and sisters in Gaza are being slaughtered and starved to death.” 

Wayne State Student Jenna Dudar attended the festival in previous years and said she agrees with the decision to cancel it.

“This is a month where we should be focusing on what’s going on in Palestine rather than  having fun ourselves,” Dudar said. “It is insensitive to have such an event, especially with the amount of food waste that happens at these festivals.”

Chami said he is getting a lot more support from the community than criticism.

“This year we are putting a strong emphasis on reflection and prayer, as we should every year, but due to the genocide in Gaza it has affected our spirituality in ways we never would have imagined,” he told The Arab American News on Wednesday.

There are many other fundraising dinners happening around the world for Gaza, especially during Ramadan.

Dearborn’s Ramadan festivities drew huge crowds in 2023 – File photo

“I think we can all support those initiatives, but the (Suhoor) Festival in itself has become so large, too large for our team to control the tempo, and it has a reputation of being a very joyful community and charity event and that is something I worry about,” Chami said.

Ali Sayed, CEO of HYPE Athletics in Dearborn Heights, is putting on a new Suhoor for Humanity, which takes place 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Friday and Saturday during the Month of Ramadan.

Suhoor for Humanity is collecting a $5 entry fee and splitting all proceeds between The Amity Foundation, United Humanitarian Foundation and Heal Palestine. A group of food trucks and indoor vendors are also donating portions of proceeds, Sayed said.

“As an organization we felt like it was a necessity to play a role in providing support for the suffering kids and families in Palestine, specifically Gaza,” he said. “As a nonprofit athletics and social service-based organization, it was a challenge for us to determine what would be the best method to get involved or show our support. Once we discovered that there weren’t really any Suhoor events in the community, we decided to host one.”

Sayed said events bring people together in solidarity.

“There’s a lot of good, a lot of all of our guests are in the family environment, understanding and supporting the cause that we selected,” he said. “It (Suhoor for Humanity) has been very rewarding spiritually (and) culturally. There is a significant benefit by having this event in our community, it’s bringing us together and has unified us quite a bit.” 

The city of Dearborn hosted a Ramadan Nights event last year, but decided not to host it this year in respect for the community, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said.

“This year, many Dearborn families are grieving the loss of family and loved ones in Gaza and around the globe,” he said. “The choice to cancel our festivities was with respect to the community’s grief.”

The city created a list of local vendors with extended hours where people can eat late at night, Chief of Staff Zaineb Hussein said.

Dudar said the events she participated in at WSU in previous years are all still happening and donating proceeds to organizations in support of Palestine. She said its important to give thanks and get involved.

“Seeing the pictures of Palestinian children on social media who are starving from lack of food and water makes us realize how important it is to thank God everyday for what we have and not take anything for granted,” she said. “It is a sad time, and it is a time where we need to take action.”