Ramadan in New York: Warmth and togetherness amidst the winter season

Speaking to ANTARA whilst contacted in Jakarta on Friday, Nubly Kautsar (44), who has worked in New York for nearly five years, stated that observing the Ramadan fast in New York can sometimes be challenging owing to the city’s four distinct seasons.

This year’s Ramadan coincided with the winter season. Dawn breaks at 05:17 local time and sunset occurs at 17:44 local time, resulting in a fasting duration of only approximately 12 hours—considerably shorter than in Jakarta.

“The experience is more challenging because sometimes there are weather obstacles from a season different from Indonesia, where there are four seasons here. However, it is more enjoyable because you do not become easily thirsty or hungry because the air is cold when Ramadan fasting coincides with winter like now,” said Billy, his nickname.

Whilst the fasting duration can be shorter, finding break-fast snacks in the city synonymous with skyscrapers is not straightforward. There are no roadside food vendors as in Indonesia, so many Indonesian residents choose to prepare break-fast meals themselves at home to still experience the festiveness of Ramadan.

Another alternative is to break the fast at local mosques such as Al-Hikmah New York, an Indonesian community mosque that provides traditional homeland snacks free of charge every day.

Billy frequently chooses to break the fast at Al-Hikmah Mosque, not only to experience the togetherness before breaking the fast, but the mosque’s location is also very convenient—just one block, or approximately five minutes’ walk from his home.

At the mosque belonging to the Indonesian community, congregational taraweeh prayers are also held. For those unable to visit Al-Hikmah, New York still has several other mosques that facilitate Muslim worshippers in performing nightly sunnah prayers.

“We perform taraweeh prayers in congregation, because indeed New York already has many mosques so we can perform it at any mosque in the New York area,” said Billy.

Being in a country far from Indonesia does not mean Billy’s Ramadan is enveloped by New York’s snowy cold, as the city has a considerable and diverse Muslim population. Not only Muslims from Indonesia, but also Muslims from Arab countries, Pakistan, and even native American citizens.

“We often break the fast together with friends from Indonesia or other countries in New York, whether fellow Indonesian Muslims or from other countries. There are Arabs, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, native American white people or Spanish people too,” he said.

Beyond matters of food and togetherness, Ramadan in New York in 2026 also granted greater confidence to the Muslim community in the city.

With the election of Zohran Mamdani—a Muslim serving as New York’s mayor—Billy stated that Muslim worshippers feel increasingly comfortable displaying their identity without fear of discrimination.

“Since the Mayor is led by a Muslim, we feel somewhat more confident showing that we are Muslim, and we are not overly fearful of discrimination related to Islamophobia,” he said.