Monday's observation of Eid al-Fitr marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. In Fresno, the Islamic Cultural Center welcomed over a hundred people who visited, took part in prayers, and ended their time of fasting over a...
Ramadan Drives Donations, Memberships to Giving Circles
Sahina Islam can still recall the day when she heard an elderly Pakistani couple got kicked out of their New York City home by their son-in-law and were sitting near John F. Kennedy International Airport, stranded and with nowhere to go. The incident led Islam and five friends to help...
An Online Post Helps Both the Hungry and a Chef in Ramadan
A few years ago, Mariam Yehia, her mom and a friend started a Ramadan tradition — they bought hot meals and handed them out to the needy in Cairo so they can break their fast during the Muslim holy month. “We feel really good that we try as much as...
Muslims Navigate Restrictions in the Second Pandemic Ramadan
CAIRO — For Ramadan this year, Magdy Hafez has been longing to reclaim a cherished ritual: performing the nighttime group prayers called taraweeh at the mosque once again. Last year, the coronavirus upended the 68-year-old Egyptian’s routine of going to the mosque to perform those prayers, traditional during Islam’s holiest...
Eid al-Fitr Marks End of Ramadan, but COVID-19 Curtails Big Events
The Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan will be subdued this year in Fresno because of the coronavirus restrictions still in place. In past years, thousands of Muslims would gather at the Fresno Convention Center to mark the end of their month of...
COVID-19 Brings a New Kind of Ramadan for Muslim Community
Muslims in the Fresno area will cast their eyes skyward Friday morning in search of the crescent moon that will signal the start of Islam's holy month of Ramadan. As happens every year, there will be prayers, fasting, and feasting for the next 30 days. But because of the COVID-19...
Iran Opens up as Economic Woes Trump Virus Infection Fears
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday began opening intercity highways and major shopping centers to stimulate its sanctions-choked economy, gambling that it has brought under control its coronavirus outbreak — one of the worst in the world — even as some fear it could lead to a second wave of...
Must Muslims Fast for Ramadan During COVID-19?
When Islam's holy month of Ramadan begins next week, there will still be prayers, fasting, and feasting, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic the prayers and celebrations will be in the homes of the Muslim faithful instead of in mosques. Shelter-at-home orders prevented communal gatherings of Christians and Jews celebrating...
Amid Virus, Saudis Close Islam's Holiest Sites to Foreigners
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia on Thursday closed off the holiest sites in Islam to foreign pilgrims over the coronavirus, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan...
Peace Is the Message as Valley Muslims Mark End of Ramadan
Valley Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan with prayers, food, and gifts to the underserved Wednesday morning at the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. "We thank God for the blessing to ourselves, our community, our nation, and the world," said Reza Nekumanesh, executive director of ICCF. During the event, Imam Seyed Ali...