Dozens of Muslim worshippers gathered in New York’s Times Square on Sunday (Mar 10) to observe the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, with some showing solidarity with the people in Gaza by displaying Palestinian flags.
The gatherers, as per an AFP report, performed special Ramadan night prayers called Taraweeh.
Come ye faithful
Despite the cold and windy conditions, more than 100 faithful gathered for the prayer meeting, with a vocalist chanting Nasheeds and children reciting from the Qur’an, copies of which were offered to both Muslims and curious passers bys.
20-year-old Ahmad Yasar, an IT student in New York, told AFP that communal prayer meetings were important to “raise awareness and show people what’s going around the world,” including in Gaza.
At the gathering, many people were seen supporting the red, white, green, and black colours of the Palestinian flag. One speaker had them emblazoned on his hat, while a young boy in an electric wheelchair flew the banner.
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Talking to NY1, Sohail Qureshi, the organiser of the event, said, “This Ramadan is hurting us a little more because of our brothers and sisters in Palestine.”
Ramadan
Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk during Ramadan and gather with family and friends to break the fast in the evening. It is also a month of prayers during which Muslims traditionally converge in large numbers at mosques, especially at night.
Organisers projected prayers from the Qur’an and their English translations onto a white sheet that was buffeted by the wind as giant ads for Broadway musicals and candy glowed overhead.
As per The National News, this was the second time in a row that hundreds of Ramadan observing Muslims broke their fast and held Taraweeh prayers in New York’s Times Square.
(With inputs from agencies)
