Iran war casts shadow over Ramadan for many Muslims on Long Island

Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims, is supposed to be a time of reflection, charity and joy. But community leaders on Long Island say that for many, the holiday has been tinged with anguish, grief and turmoil the past few years.

It started with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel by the militant group Hamas, which left about 1,200 people dead. That was followed by Israel’s counter-offensive in Gaza, where at least 75,000 people have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Now there is a new war in the region — the U.S. attack against Iran that started Feb. 28. More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran so far, the Associated Press reported Monday. At least 13 U.S. military members have also been killed.

Ramadan “is a month of blessings and joy,” said Isma Chaudhry, a leader of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury. But the war “is humbling. That puts a tone” of “the sadness of devastation. People are suffering.”

“War is never good,” she said. “War brings only devastation.”

Ramadan ends Thursday night, followed by Eid al Fitr festivities such as special meals and traditional clothing on Friday.

The holiday is one of the five pillars of Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world and the second largest, with 2 billion followers. It commemorates the time when the Prophet Muhammad received the Quran, the holiest book in Islam, from the angel Gabriel in the year 610.

Long Island is home to at least 100,000 Muslims, with a growing number of mosques — 20 in Suffolk County alone, community leaders said. Nassau County counts at least two dozen mosques.

During the holy month, the faithful cannot eat or drink anything, including water, from sunrise to sunset. The fasting can last 16 or 17 hours when Ramadan falls in the summer with its longer days, though this year it was still 13 hours or so. At sunset, the faithful engage in an “iftar” or “break fast."

While Ramadan should be a special time, the war in Iran has created “a continuation of this heightened state of just chaos and unpredictability,” said Farhana Islam, who worships at mosques in New Hyde Park and leads a civic group called Muslims for Progress.

Tahir Qureshi, a congregant at the Mount Sinai Muslim Center, showed up for the 1:30 p.m. prayer service last Friday juggling twin feelings of joy and despondency.

“Ramadan is always very special to me and everybody here. And, you know, we pray extra, we give charity, donations,” he said. “But this year is kind of sad that there is a lot of war going on, a lot of innocent people getting killed."

The conflicts have also brought Muslims together, Islam said. She has noticed more efforts to raise assistance for victims of the wars. Organizers recently held a “pop-up” iftar fundraiser for Gaza in a café in Farmingdale, she said.

“I see a lot more community activities, a lot of prayers, a lot of opportunities to connect deeper with our worship as a means of kind of getting through the difficult times and everything that's going on in the world,” she said. “It's not just in the mosques anymore. It's kind of spreading out into the greater community.”

Syed Azim, president of the Mt. Sinai mosque, said it has hosted a community iftar every Saturday evening of Ramadan to help bring people together. Up to 300 attend.

With “the war going on, obviously, the mood is not as used to be” during Ramadan, he said. But “I'm very happy to see...most of the people are turning to the mosque in our community.”

Meanwhile, the war in Iran has disrupted the plans of some Muslims to travel to the region, including for religious purposes, community leaders said.

Mehdad Islam, who is the imam or spiritual leader of the Islaamic Center of Mastic-Shirley, said he was planning to travel to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia after Ramadan ends. It is becoming an increasingly popular time for the faithful to go there, beyond the more traditional time of Hajj, which falls in late May this year, he said. Hajj calls for the faithful to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime and is another of the five pillars of Islam.

Many Muslims “had pilgrimage plans and they're worried that if they go in that region they might get hurt,” he said.