[12, June 2024]
Ramadan with Rio
Chiapas, Mexico
As we just celebrated Eid al-Fitr and approach Eid al-Adha, we reflect on Rio’s invaluable contributions during his time with us at Casa Umar. Over the five weeks he spent getting to know our community, Rio made remarkable progress with our permaculture initiative. Among the many milestones he achieved were the implementation of a roof water capture system, a grey water filtration system, the construction of a greenhouse, and the creation of a prototype wicking bed system. Additionally, he successfully planted our first batch of seeds that are already thriving.
Beyond his work at the centre, Rio also connected with other like-minded individuals in the city who are dedicated to improving the city’s water. With plans to return and expand his efforts in the near future, we hope Rio remains a constant and cherished member of our community.
We are deeply grateful for Rio's help in kickstarting our permaculture initiative and look forward to sharing our progress in the months to come.
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Currently, in production, Los Creyentes is a feature-length documentary exploring the lives of a struggling community on the borderlands of Central America.
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[12, May 2024]
Sincero - Carniceria Halal in San Cristóbal de las Casas
Chiapas, Mexico
Over the last year the halal carneceria, now named “Sincero” has grown to support the community’s meal needs and is becoming a source of sustainable economic development for the Muslim community in Chiapas. Previously run by Yusuf, the community member in the video, Sincero has now also been joined by another trainee Muhammad Yusuf. As the sole provider of halal meat for the community, the business needs more trained workers in order to fulfill community demand and to seed sustainable economic growth for the residents. Additionally, a portion of the profits generated from this business aims to be invested in the local madrasa so that it can offer more programs for the community.
Please donate to continue supporting the Muslim community of Chiapas and their efforts toward building sustainable resources, businesses and community spaces.
Donate here
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[22 August 2023]
Halal Carniceria
Chiapas, Mexico
Chiapas, Mexico
At the southern edge of Mexico near the borders of Guatemala lies the state of Chiapas. Here, Muslims from around the Americas have migrated and mixed with the indigenous Tzotzil to form the only living third-generation community of Mexican Muslims in Central America.
We had the honor of spending last Ramadan with this community and got to intimately experience a community in its infancy. One of the needs this community has is access to Halal Meat. The "Halal Caranceria' business was started by the Imam of the community and is barely surviving, with just one butcher holding the weight of the entire community's demands on his back.
The business needs more trained workers in order to fulfill the demands of the community. We are helping raise funds for this initial phase and in the long term, we are committed to helping this community grow into a self-sustainable one. The profits generated from this business aim to be invested in the local Madrasa so that it can offer more programs for the community.
Donate here
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[20 July 2023]
In conversation with Kashmirwala
Rumi's Cave, London, UK
Rumi's Cave, London, UK
In this intimate talk, visual artist Ibrahim Ahmed, also known as Kashmirwala, shares his transformative experiences while visiting the indigenous Muslims of Chiapas. Through his heartfelt personal account, he describes the journey his family embarked upon, whilst shedding light on the significant challenges faced by the Tzotzils as well as those who have dedicated more than a decade to the maintenance and development of this nascent community of converts.
Donate here
Donate here