On Welsh mountaintops, in California deserts and even on a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean – these are some of the places where Muslims have prayed.
These scenes from various geographies are documented on the online platform Places You’ll Pray, created by American photographer Sana Ullah.
She came up with the idea in 2015, after having to pray in a mall dressing room with her sister. Ullah began to think of the many places where Muslims perform their prayers when they are not close to a mosque or prayer room.
At the time, Ullah, who was born in Florida to Bangladeshi parents, had just completed her undergraduate studies. Taking a gap year before pursuing new media journalism for graduate school, she developed a photo series on Muslim communities and prayer that she included in her portfolio.
As an American Muslim, she says she was initially unsure about showcasing her images, afraid of being pigeonholed as the “token Muslim girl”. This changed when a professor, who was African-American, gave her some advice. “He told me that if I didn’t tell stories from my community, someone else who is not from that community would, and those stories wouldn’t be as effective,” she says.
Soon after, Ullah started an open call for submissions on Facebook, and the images started coming in – first, from everyday spots like libraries and basketball courts, and eventually, to far-flung areas such as the foot of a waterfall in Sumatra, an area of the Sahara Desert in Chad, and a serene lake in Kashmir.
Over the years, the Places You’ll Pray Instagram page has shared more than a thousand photos and attracted 35,000 followers, many of whom are non-Muslim. “I make sure the images are composed well and are clear. I try not to push for the ones that look extremely staged,” she says about her selection process.
Friends and followers have expressed how the platform has helped them learn about Islamic prayers, Ullah says, including the fact they don’t always have to be conducted in a mosque or prayer room. “Muslims need a place that’s clean in order to pray, that’s it,” she says.
In another instance, a teacher in the US thanked Ullah for including one of her pupils’ photos on the platform. “The student told the class, ‘For the first time, I can relate to an image that’s going viral’. The teacher told me that even if there’s a lot of anger and hate, there are lot of other people who are supportive and who are allies,” she says.
Ullah started her project during a consequential period in America, just as Donald Trump came into power. Between 2016 and 2017, anti-Muslim bias increased in the US by 17 per cent, as cited in the Council on American Islamic Relations. In the first half of 2019, the organisation recorded 759 anti-Muslim bias incidents in the country.
In 2020, she says the sentiment can still go either way. “I feel like there’s sparks. There’s moments when I feel it’s really bad and then other times I feel it isn’t as bad,” she says, adding that the experiences of Muslim communities may vary according to where they are in the US.
The Places You’ll Pray project has enlightened her in other ways, on the geopolitics of Muslim communities in areas like Kashmir and Bosnia, for example, and the spread of Islam in Eastern Europe and South America.
It's also a chance for her to see the natural beauty of other countries, she adds. This includes the scenic photos of Haroon Moota, a mountaineer and fundraiser, who has submitted to the project twice. The first was from when he climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales, and the other was during a five-day charity trek to Machu Picchu in Peru.
"I shared my pictures to hopefully inspire others to maintain prayer and to demonstrate that we can overcome barriers regardless of where we are and what we are doing in the world," he tells The National.
Ullah says that she will continue to build Places You’ll Pray, even as she embarks on a new career path. She has recently started her role as a programme officer at National Geographic, where she will be helping other photographers craft their visual stories. She will also develop her own projects, including a new body of work around colourism in the South Asian community.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
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