New York, Feb 20 (EFE).- Muslims in the city of New York defied the winter rain and cold to gather in Times Square on Friday, surrounded by lights and advertisements, for their Tarawi prayer, in their holy month of Ramadan, which began earlier this week.
This was the first event held in the city since Zohran Mamdani, took office as mayor with the arrival of the New Year, becoming the first Muslim in that position in the city’s history.
Mamdani has said Ramadan is a month of reflection and solidarity, and expressed his desire to connect with all Muslims living in the city.
Some 200 people came together at Times Square for the prayers, which began at 5pm local time, marking the end of the day’s fast.
Muslims have been holding this prayer event in New York’s Times Square in the month of Ramadan since 2022.
“We are breaking our fast and we are going to recite the Quran and the reason is that we want people to hear the Quran,” the event’s organizer, identified solely by the initials “SQ,” told EFE.
While several questions were raised initially about praying in Times Square, surrounded by billboards, SQ reiterated that “the best environment is the one in your heart, and the heart is not determined about the area” where you are.
“So, you could pray anywhere you wanted. We believe that all of this belongs to God, not to New York. So we are here praying in the land that God has provided,” SQ said.
An estimated one million Muslims live in New York City, nearly one in eight residents, or about 12 percent of the population, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). EFE
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