DEARBORN — A Ramadan commercial that aired on Comcast last year was so well received that the non-profit organization behind the campaign is looking to expand the message to a wider audience this year.

The Dearborn-based non-profit organization Motion Projects conceived the campaign “It’s Ramadan”, featuring the commercial that aired on Comcast last year. 

Piximotion, a subcontractor for Comcast, produced the spot, which included Muslims from all walks of life. It aired in Michigan, Florida and New York during the month of Ramadan and was able to reach 436,686 Americans.

For the second year, the campaign is aiming to up to expand the initiative with a new commercial that would air in 10 states and has the potential to reach more than 2 million viewers. 

The launch date of the commercial will coincide with the first day of Ramadan on June 5. The commercial will air routinely on various networks, including ABC, FX, Bravo, TNT, CNN, TLC, TBS, USA and A&E, until July 4. The commercial will also run on the Internet through Comcast.

Organizers behind the campaign are looking to shift focus this year to educate viewers on Islamic teachings in the form of a well-known American Muslim public figure.

Piximotion Creative Director Wissam Bazzi said the campaign is currently selecting a spokesperson for the spot and has lined up several potential candidates. The campaign is expected to reveal the spokesperson in coming weeks. 

In the meantime, the campaign is in the process of reaching out to the community to generate more funds for the effort. Bazzi said Piximotion has received overwhelming feedback from Muslims and non-Muslims following the spot last year. 

“When we put it out last year, the support factor drove us to keep going in that format,” Bazzi said. “The spot last year had tremendous feedback from all over. People I didn’t even know were coming into the office to drop off checks. Because it was well received, it gave us the motivation to try and take it to another level.”

While Bazzi and his team are still conceptualizing the commercial, they are already launching other components of the campaign. One element will be to reach out to the Muslim community to get involved with the campaign, by engaging with them in a social media initiative that will feature community leaders. 

Former State Representative Rashida Tlaib recently shot a promotional video for the campaign. While the 2016 presidential campaign flares with anti-Islamic rhetoric at the forefront, Tlaib explained that this is an opportunity for the community to change the narrative of Islam in the media. 

“The Ramadan campaign is important because it’s us telling our own story and not depending on the mainstream media to do it,” Tlaib said. “As a mother, I feel like the Ramadan campaign is going to help my children be proud of being Muslim and not being afraid of it. Right now so many of our young people are afraid of being Muslim publicly.”

Other leaders involved with the social media campaign will be CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, Zaman International Founder Najah Bazzy and AAANY Executive Director Linda Sarsour. 

In the weeks leading up to Ramadan, Bazzi said promotional videos will also be released that will feature Muslims sharing their Ramadan stories. It will also include non-Muslims, who will be telling positive stories about their participation in fasting and iftar.

“Through this campaign we want to show the mainstream that Ramadan is one of the most beautiful times of the year,” Bazzi said. “Muslims and non-Muslims celebrate — this month. People say it’s like thanksgiving every night. We want Muslims to celebrate—show who they are and share their identities and culture with the rest of the country. We can tell our own story and narrative and we don’t need the mainstream media to do it for us.” 

The organization has set up a LaunchGood page and is hoping to raise $350,000 to fund all components of the campaign. The first LaunchGood initiative has kicked off with a goal to reach $25,000 in online donations. So far the campaign has received $810 from 15 supporters.

To donate to the campaign, visit: 

https://www.launchgood.com/project/its_ramadan_2016_commercial#

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.itsramadan.org.