Celebrating in Sugar Land Makes Ramzan & Eid So Much Sweeter

It’s no secret that I love my adopted hometown of Sugar Land, Texas…I mean, it’s literally in my brand handle! But the reason why lies in all the ways my beautiful city is the exact depiction of America’s diverse melting pot. Having lived here for almost three decades, I’ve seen so many changes take place but what’s unwavering is the city’s ability to embrace all the various ethnicities and religions that have come with our exponential growth.

Getting the chance to work with Visit Sugar Land to highlight my slice of life as a Muslim-American in the sweetest city around has to be such a proud moment. Because the Sugar Land community has been my home for so long and seen me through college weekends when I visited my parents to expat trips from London when I moved abroad all the way to finally buying my own home here when deciding where to raise my family. There really isn’t any other place that will ever hold the same place in my heart and getting the chance to celebrate it has been an absolute joy for me.

One of Sugar Land’s largest religious populations is that of Muslim-Americans and I can tell you firsthand how lovely it is to celebrate the religious month of fasting (known as Ramzan by Pakistanis aka Ramadan by everyone else)! I’ve gotten to witness the city’s population more than triple in the time I’ve lived here and can’t help but marvel at how convenient it is to celebrate Ramzan and Eid in the Land of Sugar! And don’t forget the fact that the community is just as accepting and often zealously obliging when it comes to celebrating different cultures and religions – a blessing on its’ own!

There are numerous halal and ethnic restaurants and coffee shops throughout the city (with new ones opening up daily!) and aside from the food, I love how the Mayor of Sugar Land hosts an iftar dinner (at sunset, when Muslims break their daylong fast) for Muslim constituents every year and this year even saw a Ramadan bazaar take place at Town Square (with over 3000+ attendees)!

Being able to worship at local mosques, cater dinner parties from local restaurants and curate gift baskets from local businesses makes living in Sugar Land during the holy month so much sweeter! I think for me, the best part is the nonchalant acceptance Sugar Land offers to all its residents, and unabashedly celebrates our differences. It’s this simple but poignant fact that makes Sugar Land the beloved hometown to the thousands of residents that live here, myself included.