BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — “The time of Ramadan is a very special one,” explained Khalid Qazi, founding president, Muslim Public Affairs Council of Western New York.
The holy month of Ramadan is now underway for Muslims around the world. It's a ritual of daily fasting along with a time of increased worship and charity. It also brings family and friends together in festive gatherings.
I met with Qazi to learn about how our local Muslim community honors the holy month of Ramadan.
“We have a special prayer service every night during the month of Ramadan,” Qazi described. “And this is a time of self-reflection, self-purification, supplications, prayers, and fasting. It really brings you closer to those of us who may be less fortunate.”
Just as Christians are currently observing the Lenten season, which includes fasting, Qazi tells me Muslim fasting during Ramadan is "very strict".
“The fast starts early in the morning, at daybreak, roughly about 90 minutes before the sunrise, and last till the sunset. And during this time, which is about over 13 hours, these days you cannot eat or drink anything whatsoever. you can basically just breathe the air,” Qazi noted.
Ramadan, which started the evening of March 10 and concludes the evening of April 9, will also include a big celebration with families and food.
“When all the families get together there's a big meal there's a big service in the morning and then people try to wear new clothes and exchange gifts said it is you know become commercial like Christmas, so it's a big celebration,” replied Qazi.
Qazi tells me the Muslim community has certainly grown over the years in Western New York. He recalls 50 years ago there were about two mosques in the Buffalo area and now there are nearly 50.
“Close to 50 mosques in Western New York — Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Amherst, Grand Island, and the surrounding counties,” commented Qazi. “There has been a significant growth and there has been also an internal migration from New York up into the Buffalo area, especially over the last 20 years that has exploded the population of Muslims,” remarked Qazi.
Qazi said there has been “exponential growth” in the local Muslim population in the Buffalo region which has doubled to 100,000 in the past 25 years.
But Qazi tells me Ramadan is even more meaningful to our Muslim community as they watch the war in Gaza.
“It plays in the minds of all the Muslims at this time and they are fasting. They feel pretty close to people in Gaza and Palestine and pray,” responded Qazi. “This continues at a time when we keep saying never again and it really is heartbreaking.”
