Ramadan is a significant month for Muslims, spiritually and physically, but between bouts of prayer and deliberation, some might feel inclined to sit down for a bit of Netflix browsing. And since you have to stay halal in Ramadan, you should probably forget Netflix and chill. Now is the time to Netflix and fast!
The month of Ramadan is important to Muslims for a number of reasons. Chief among them is the belief that the Quran, their holy book, was revealed to Muhammad during this month. The people who follow the Islamic faith go on fasts from sunrise to sunset, refraining from eating or drinking to test their endurance and even develop sympathy for the less fortunate. Giving charity is also highly encouraged, especially on Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
If all of this makes you curious to know more about Muslim culture, then watching these movies and TV shows on Netflix can help you get a better understanding of their customs, traditions, and beliefs.
10. Crashing Eid (2023)
This one is a no-brainer, as the synopsis actually includes an Eid (celebration) in it. Crashing Eid is a love story between Razan and her British-Pakistani fiancé, who crashes the family’s Eid party. The series stars Hamza Haq, Summer Shesha, and Yasir Alsaggaf.
9. It’s OK (2023)
Elissa is one of the most well-known singers in the Muslim world. This new documentary gives us an intimate look into her personal life and the challenges she faced on the road to stardom.
8. Dubai Bling (2022)
This reality series takes place in Dubai, and deals with the city’s “high-flying social circle,” which is another way of describing documenting people with more money than they know what to do with. This is essentially The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on crack, so it might be worth checking out, especially as it reveals that even in the Muslim world, where the majority of people adhere to Prophet Muhammad’s tradition of humility and frugality, though you can still find communities that completely disregard these teachings.
7. Facing Mecca (2017)
Facing Mecca is a short, heartfelt story about a man who wants to bury his wife in accordance with Muslim traditions, but has to navigate the world of Swiss bureaucracy.
6. Finding Ola (2022)
Finding Ola is the story of a mother who has to go on a journey of self-discovery while raising two children and trying to make ends meet. The show is a perfect blend of comedy and drama, and stars Hind Sabri, Sawsan Badr, Yasmina El-Abd, and Nada Musa.
5. Born in Gaza (2014)
Born in Gaza tells the story of 10 Palestinian children and their daily struggles during the 2014 Gaza War. The documentary features disturbing images, and may not be suitable for the faint of heart. It gets doubly worse when you realize that the same tragedy is happening in 2024, and on a much broader scale. If Ramadan is about sympathizing with the poor, the weak, and the oppressed, then watching Born in Gaza may prove to be particularly insightful. As of March 2024, at least 12,000 children have been killed due to Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip.
4. Newton’s Cradle (2021)
Newton’s Cradle is about an immigrant couple who seek U.S. residency and want to have their first child in America, in an adventure fraught with unexpected risks and dangers to their relationship. Newton’s Cradle stars Mona Zaki and Mohamed Mamdouh.
3. Ali’s Wedding (2017)
A lot of our picks for this list center around a serious subject matter, so this one might be the perfect choice to lighten the mood. Ali’s Wedding is a rom-com, but in an Arabic setting, telling the story of the titular Ali as he tries to juggle obligations to his family and his own aspirations of becoming a musician. And things get even more complicated when Ali realizes his family is planning an arranged marriage for him.
2. Haider (2014)
Haider is an Indian film taking place in Kashmir during the infamous insurgency of 1995. Haider was the first Indian film to bag a People’s Choice Award at the International Rome Film Fest, and has been lauded by many critics as one of the best Indian films to date.
1. Mosul (2020)
Mosul is a war film taking place in the titular city of Mosul during the fight against the terrorist Islamic State. It tells the story of a police officer named Kawa who arrests ISIS smugglers but ends up getting surrounded by ISIS fighters. An elite Iraqi squad rescues Kawa, who is then thrust into the thick of the 2016 Battle of Mosul, which is often referred to as one of the largest and deadliest military operations since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
