WhyIslam Dallas Launches Ramadan Billboard Campaign to Bridge Cultural Divides
WhyIslam Dallas, in collaboration with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), has launched a comprehensive billboard campaign across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to educate the public about Ramadan and foster interfaith understanding. The four-week initiative, which began in early March 2025, features strategically placed billboards on significant highways, including President George Bush Turnpike and LBJ Freeway, displaying messages such as "Fast with Us!" and emphasizing Ramadan's themes of reflection, generosity, and spiritual growth. The campaign directs interested individuals to visit www.whyislam.org for more information about Islam and this significant Islamic observance.
Prime Billboard Locations Target Diverse Audiences
The organization has carefully selected two high-visibility locations to maximize the campaign's reach across diverse demographic groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The first billboard stands at the intersection of President George Bush Turnpike and Dallas North Tollway, Highway 190, specifically chosen to capture the attention of affluent consumers in nearby r. It is a residential development. This premium location offers motorists approaching the Dallas North Tollway and George Bush Turnpike a clear view of the message, ensuring extended exposure time.
The second billboard is positioned on LBJ Freeway (I-635), approximately 0.7 miles east of State Highway 121, facing westbound traffic. This location was selected for its proximity to DFW International Airport and the Grapevine area's concentration of retail, hotel, entertainment, and tourist attractions. The strategic placement ensures the message reaches both residents and visitors to the metroplex.
"Our goal is to foster understanding and create a bridge between Muslim and non-Muslim communities," said a representative from WhyIslam Dallas. "Ramadan is a time of self-discipline, generosity, and profound spirituality, and we welcome everyone to explore its significance".
Educational Outreach and Humanitarian Efforts
The campaign extends beyond mere visual messaging to include comprehensive educational components. The prominently displayed billboards direct viewers to call 1-877-WHYISLAM or visit www.whyislam.org to access detailed information about Islam and Ramadan. This approach reflects why Islam’s mission is to provide accessible resources for those seeking to understand Islamic practices and values.
WhyIslam Dallas formally launched the awareness campaign at a press conference held on March 3rd, 2025, at the ICNA Center in Richardson, Texas. The event introduced the billboard initiative and highlighted the organization's extensive humanitarian efforts, including refugee support programs and community assistance activities.
"Islam strongly believes in the healing of society throughout the year and especially during Ramadan, with several humanitarian efforts underway by ICNA Relief and other partners, helping needy and poor, helping refugees coming from war zone counties, distributing toys to children from refugee families, celebrating EID day and sharing happiness across the board," noted event organizers.
The Spiritual Heart of the Campaign
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar, is expected to run from February 28 to March 30, 2025, depending on the sighting of the last moon. During this period, healthy adult Muslims fast from the dawn moon, sighting food, drink, and other specific activities while increasing their focus on prayer, Quranic recitation, and charitable actions.
The billboards emphasize Ramadan's three core aspects: reflection, giving, and spirituality – themes that resonate across cultural and religious boundaries. By inviting non-Muslims to "Fast With Us!" the campaign creates an opportunity for experiential learning, allowing people of diverse backgrounds to gain insight into this significant spiritual practice observed by millions worldwide.
"It's about providing an opportunity to our fellow Americans to learn that about 1 billion Muslims worldwide, including those in the US, are celebrating the month of Ramadan and to educate them about what the tradition of Ramadan is all about to understand their Muslim neighbors and friends better," explained Shahzad Khan, Dallas Dawah Chapter Lead for WhyIslam.
Building on a Tradition of Educational Outreach
This latest initiative builds upon WhyIslam and ICNA's established history of utilizing billboard campaigns for public education about Islam. Since at least 2013, ICNA Dallas has implemented similar outreach strategies, with previous campaigns covering topics ranging from the hijab to fundamental Islamic beliefs.
In 2019, for example, the organization launched three billboards across Dallas with the message "Ramadan—The month of Reflection, Giving, and Spirituality." That campaign reached approximately 8 million motorists over its four-week duration. It was complemented by "Celebrate Ramadan" events at local libraries, which offered attendees opportunities to explore Islamic culture through activities like calligraphy and henna and share iftar (breaking-of-fast) meals.
Similarly, in 2020, a billboard on Interstate 45 in Dallas featured the message: "Find Jesus in the Qur'an, Muhammad in the Bible," designed to highlight connections between Islam and Christianity. According to Sabeel Ahmed, executive director of GainPeace (which conducts community outreach for ICNA), "Our primary purpose is to build bridges and to erase the misconceptions. We want to educate our fellow Americans, allowing them to look into Islam, to read about Islam through our website and billboards".
The Impact of Previous Campaigns
These billboard initiatives have demonstrated a significant impact over the years. Ahmed reported that similar campaigns have generated nearly 60,000 calls over ten years, with many callers requesting free copies of the Quran in English or Spanish. The 2022 Ramadan billboard campaign specifically focused on educating the Dallas-Fort Worth community about the multiple levels of fasting in Islam – physical abstention from food and drink, purification of speech and actions, and spiritual cleansing of the heart and mind.
Ruman Sadiq, an outreach volunteer with the Dallas Chapter of ICNA, noted during a 2019 campaign that these initiatives often lead to meaningful dialogue. She recounted an hour-long conversation with an initially angry caller who, after discussing misconceptions about Islam, ended the call "on a very positive note." "She was thrilled to clarify her misconceptions," Sadiq explained.
The Organization Behind the Message
WhyIslam functions as the outreach department of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). Its objectives are to educate others about Islam, build bridges between communities, identify commonalities between people of various faiths, and collaborate to establish better societies.
ICNA has grown significantly in recent years, organizing national and regional conventions that unite Muslim Americans for educational and spiritual development. According to their 2023 annual report, ICNA's dawah (outreach) activities reached over 10 million people through various channels, distributed over 100,000 Qurans, and maintained over 300 dawah booths across the United States.
The organization's approach emphasizes practical community service alongside educational outreach. In 2023 alone, ICNA Relief—the organization's humanitarian arm—established numerous programs to build healthy communities, strengthen families, and create opportunities for those in need.
Ramadan 2025 and Beyond
As Ramadan 2025 approaches (expected to begin February 28 and end March 30, with Eid ul-Fitr likely falling on March 31), this billboard campaign represents just one facet of broader efforts by Muslim organizations to engage with the wider American public. The month offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, with fasting serving as a universal spiritual practice that transcends religious boundaries.
"This is a time of the year that many people look at all types of causes happening nationally and internationally and try to see what can I do to help," explained one speaker in a 2022 ICNA video about Ramadan. "During this time, Muslims all together we try to give as much as we can".
For WhyIslam Dallas, the current billboard campaign represents not just a seasonal initiative but part of a continuous effort to build meaningful connections between communities. With growing curiosity about Islam across America, initiatives like this provide platforms for open dialogue and authentic education.
Navaid Khan, WhyIslam Dallas Billboard Campaign Lead, emphasized that the organization welcomes inquiries and is prepared to engage with diverse audiences: "Our staff members are available for interviews on the premises or in the studios of TV channels and radio stations". This accessibility underscores the campaign's fundamental aim of fostering understanding through personal connection and conversation.
Bridging Divides Through Education and Dialogue
As the billboards continue to reach thousands of daily commuters throughout March 2025, WhyIslam Dallas anticipates that their message will resonate with people seeking to better understand their Muslim neighbors. By presenting Ramadan not merely as a religious obligation but as a spiritual journey focused on reflection, giving, and connection with the divine, the campaign speaks to universal human values that cross cultural and religious lines.
The initiative comes at a time when building interfaith understanding remains critically important in American society. Through this billboard campaign and the educational resources it promotes, WhyIslam Dallas contributes to a broader national conversation about religious diversity, mutual respect, and shared community values as Ramadan 2025 brings its spiritual blessings to Muslims across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and beyond.