Noreen Nasir, race and ethnicity video journalist, Chicago; Mariam Fam, religion reporter, Cairo; and Aroun Deen, New York administration, produced a rich, character-driven look at obstacles and opportunities for American Muslims observing Ramadan during the pandemic. Harnessing the power of the AP across the U.S., the team and their colleagues brought a complex subject to vivid fruition with a nuanced, intimate look at the Muslim community adjusting and improvising during a more virtual and sometimes solitary holy month.

Among the profiles:
– An intensive care respiratory therapist in Chicago: “I didn’t know if I was physically or mentally strong enough to be a frontliner.”
– A new convert to Islam in Houston: “I think this is the path that Allah has set for me as a challenge.”
– An imam in the heart of the New York City outbreak: “Once we receive a call asking for help, we never question about the caller’s faith.”

Working with multiple visual journalists and editors to assemble imagery – itself a challenge at this fast-moving moment, the team assembled the package like a jigsaw puzzle. They collaborated with, among others, Central Region Deputy Director Kim Johnson; Global Religion producer Emily Leshner, who assembled the custom web page; photographers Bebeto Matthews, Charles Rex Arbogast and David J. Phillip; and the South region’s multitalented Ron Harris.
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