MARIAM FAM

Associated Press

A Pakistani browses children's clothes at a market as he shops for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday?

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is drawing to an end and Muslims around the world will soon start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

A barber shaves a client at his newly opened barbershop in Daraya, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. Part of rural Damascus, Daraya was one of the centers of the uprising against Bashar Assad and suffered killings and saw massive damage during fighting. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Nostalgia, relief and loss as some Syrians mark their first Ramadan back home in years

As they spend their first Ramadan in their country in years, many Syrians who’ve recently returned from abroad to a homeland they were forced to flee have been celebrating the end of the Assad family’s rule.

A group of sheikhs call for the prayer during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, Friday March 7, 2025.(AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

This Ramadan, relief and hope bump against violence and uncertainty in the new Syria

For Syrians observing Ramadan, this Muslim holy month is their first in their homeland since the end of the Assad family’s iron-fisted rule. For many, that means relief, joy at new freedoms and hope for their country even as challenges remain.

Fatima Al-Absi prepares food for her family's iftar, the fast-breaking meal, on the first day of Ramadan in their damaged apartment in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Loss, worry and prayers for better days mark Ramadan’s start as fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza

For Palestinians observing Ramadan in Gaza, the Muslim holy month started this year under a fragile ceasefire agreement that paused more than 15 months of the Israel-Hamas war.

Worshippers perform a night prayer called 'Tarawih' during the eve of the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Turkey at the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)

What is Ramadan and how do Muslims observe the Islamic holy month?

Observant Muslims worldwide will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts. For Muslims, it’s a time of increased worship, religious reflection, charity and good deeds.

Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over residences in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Struggling with your mental health after surviving a disaster? Here’s how to look after yourself

There’s the initial shock and chaos in a collective disaster like the deadly and destructive California wildfires.

Kathleen Krueger and her daughter, Megan, 28, sit together at their home in Racine, Wis., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

How faith communities can be welcoming of believers with disabilities this holiday season and beyond

This holiday season, some religious congregations across the U.S. are holding events designed to be accommodating to and inclusive of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Soraya Burhani poses for a photo, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Buford, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Some US Muslims struggle to find a candidate they can tolerate supporting for president

Just four years ago, most U.S. Muslim voters supported Democratic President Joe Biden. But with his administration’s support for Israel and handling of the wars in the Middle East leaving many of them feeling outraged and ignored, some are seeking a rebuff of the Democrats through the ballot box, in

Wind-driven rain soaks a street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the passage of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Hurricane Milton disrupts Yom Kippur plans for Jews in Florida

Many Jews worldwide will mark Yom Kippur in fasting and prayer at their synagogues this weekend. But for the faithful in Florida, destructive Hurricane Milton has disrupted plans for observing the Day of Atonement.

Headspace meditation teacher, Rosie Acosta, meditates in her studio with her dog Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Woodland Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Feeling stressed about the election? Here’s what some are doing and what they say you can do too

The 2024 race to the White House has already seen unexpected twists and turns. And roughly 3 in 4 American adults believe the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

People carry their luggage as they cross into Syria on foot, through a crater caused by Israeli airstrikes aiming to block Beirut-Damascus highway at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Lebanese worldwide fear for their homeland and loved ones as violence escalates

For generations, many people in Lebanon have wrestled with whether to leave to seek better opportunities or escape various times of tumult.

Uncommitted delegates hold a press conference outside the United Center before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Takeaways from AP’s report on the dilemmas facing Palestinian Americans ahead of US election

Many Palestinian Americans, in recent months, have been reeling from the double blow of the rising Palestinian death toll in Gaza and their own government’s support for Israel in the war against Hamas.

Jerusalem Garden restaurant owner and operator Ali Ramlawi stands on the campus of the University of Michigan, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Grief over Gaza and qualms over US election add up to anguish for many Palestinian Americans

For months, many Palestinian Americans have been contending with the double whammy of the rising Palestinian death toll and suffering in Gaza and their own government’s support for Israel in the war.

FILE - In this photo released by Israeli Defense Forces on Aug. 27, 2024, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, right, and the commanding officer of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, talk after a rescue operation to free Alkadi. (Israeli Defense Forces via AP, File)

What to know about the rescued hostage’s Bedouin community in Israel

The rescue from Gaza of hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, who belongs to the Bedouin community in Israel, has put the focus on a minority group that has largely existed on the margins of Israeli society.

Girls walk through the halls of the children center where they live, which provides a variety of activities for children, northeastern Syria, June 26, 2024. Children at the center include some born to formerly captured Yazidi women. While the Yazidi community has embraced mothers kidnapped by Islamic State group militants, the fate of children born to the women after their capture proved much more contentious. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

She became a mother after Islamic State captivity. A decade on, Yazidi community shuns her children

As the 10th anniversary of the Islamic State group’s atrocities against Iraq’s Yazidis approaches, a traumatized community is still in many ways convulsed by the legacy of the militants’ onslaught.

FILE - Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil during the annual Hajj, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 30, 2023. Once a year, Muslim pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia from around the world unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worshipping God as they perform Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam. Among other rituals, pilgrims throw pebbles in a symbolic stoning of the devil. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

What’s the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage, and why is it significant for Muslims?

Once a year, Muslims coming to Saudi Arabia unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam.

FILE - Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, leader of the "Kinnar Akhara," a monastic order of the transgender community, meets with followers at the Kumbh Mela festival in Pragraj, India, Feb. 5, 2019. The Kumbh Mela is a series of ritual baths by Hindu holy men, and other pilgrims that dates back to at least medieval times. The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex – a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church. Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of transgender people. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)

Transgender inclusion? World’s major religions take varying stances on policies toward trans people

The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex. It’s a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church.

FILE - Youths light firecrackers and flares as they celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Islam follows a lunar calendar and so Ramadan and Eid cycle through the seasons. In 2024, the first day of Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on or around April 10; the exact date may vary among countries and Muslim communities. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday?

Muslims around the world will soon bid farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

FILE - A partial solar eclipse is seen behind a cross on the steeple of the St. George church, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Awe and dread: How religions have responded to total solar eclipses over the centuries

Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder.

An anti-war advertising poster with Arabic words that read: Lebanon doesn't want the war," appears on a street in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. A war of words that has unfolded in Lebanon show longstanding schisms in the small country over Hezbollah, now amplified by the militant group's role in the Lebanon-Israel border clashes and by fears that an already crisis-hit Lebanon could be dragged into an all-out war.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Lebanese nun’s request to pray for Hezbollah fighters highlights schisms over the group’s weapons

A video showing a Lebanese nun asking young students to pray for the “men of the resistance,” a reference to Hezbollah fighters, has sparked controversy in Lebanon.

Adam Alcodray stands outside Dearborn High School on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 in Dearborn Mich. Alcodray, 14, is a 9th grader at the school which makes certain allowances for students observing Ramadan. Alcodray says Ramadan carries more significance this year given the plight of people in Gaza. “When you look at what the children are eating in Gaza, you appreciate what your mom makes,” he said. “When you’re having a bad day, realize what they are going through.”

Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan

While Muslim students remain a rarity in many U.S. school districts, they are a major presence in some communities.

FILE - Officials are silhouetted as they use a telescope to scan the horizon for a crescent moon that will determine the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

What is Ramadan and how do Muslims observe the Islamic holy month?

Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts. For Muslims, it’s a time of increased worship, charity and good deeds.

This image provided by Kino Lorber shows Nour Karoui, top, Eya Chikhaoui, left, Ichraq Matar, center, and Tayssir Chikhaoui, right, in the movie Four Daughters, filmed in Tunis, Tunisia. The film about a Tunisian family and the radicalization of two teenage daughters who joined the Islamic State is up for one of the most prestigious film awards in the world. (Kino Lorber via AP)

Two daughters ran away to join Islamic State. Years later, their family’s story is an Oscar nominee

A documentary about a Tunisian family and the radicalization of two teenage daughters who joined the Islamic State group is up for one of the most prestigious film awards in the world.

People walk in Manger Square, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. World-famous Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem have been put on hold due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Grieving and often overlooked, Palestinian Christians prepare for a somber Christmas amid war

From Jesus’ biblical birthplace of Bethlehem to New York City, many Palestinian Christians this Christmas season are gripped with helplessness, pain and worry amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Two women hug as Muslim and Jewish women gather at an interfaith workshop on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Rutgers University on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in New Brunswick, N.J. The latest violence, triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, is prompting some to question such dialogue, its role, impact -- or how to even have it-- while steeling the resolve of others to connect and wrestle together with the challenges. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

In US, some Muslim-Jewish interfaith initiatives are strained by Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war and its polarizing reverberations in America are straining some Muslim-Jewish interfaith relationships in the U.S. more than ever. For many, the losses are too personal, the emotions too raw.

This still image provided by Terrace Films, shows Saleha Jabeen at an Army Reserve Base, in September 2017, in Fort Sheridan, Ill. Jabeen is featured in "Three Chaplains," a documentary that offers a peek into the worlds of Muslim military chaplains. (Courtesy David Washburn/Terrace Films via AP)

New documentary offers a peek into the triumphs and struggles of Muslim chaplains in US military

The small group of Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military tends to the souls and spirits of troops of all faiths and no faith.

Rutgers University's students place candles with the Star of David pattern to hold solidarity and vigil for Israel on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in New Brunswick, N.J. For many of the university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense. The bloodshed has roiled campuses in the United States, sparking rival rallies and competing demands.(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war

For many of the Jewish and Muslim university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense.

FILE - Egyptian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, April 21, 2023. In the Middle East and North Africa, where religion is often ingrained in daily life's very fabric, rejecting faith can come with social or other repercussions, so many of the "nones," a group that includes agnostics, atheists and "nothing in particular" conceal that part of themselves, as blasphemy laws and policies are widespread in the region. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Fearing ostracism or worse, many nonbelievers hide their views in the Middle East and North Africa

In the Middle East and North Africa, where religion is often ingrained in daily life’s very fabric, rejecting faith can come with repercussions.

FILE - A sign advertises Yeezy shoes made by Adidas at Kickclusive, a sneaker resale store, in Paramus, N.J., Oct. 25, 2022. When Adidas cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, due to his antisemitic comments, it was left with more than a billion dollars worth of high-end Yeezy sneakers. Now, Jewish Americans are evaluating the German company’s plan to give some of the proceeds from the sneakers’ sale to groups engaged in fighting antisemitism. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Adidas is donating Yeezy sales to anti-hate groups. US Jews say it’s making best of bad situation

Last October, sportswear giant Adidas cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, due to his antisemitic comments. As a result, Adidas was left with more than a billion dollars worth of high-end Yeezy sneakers.

Women referees pose for a portrait after officiating a match in the Morocco's professional women league, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco’s historic Women’s World Cup performance inspires girls even if some in Arab world ignore it

Morocco’s national women’s team made its debut at the Women’s World Cup and advanced to the knockout rounds. It was the first team to qualify from an Arab world where many are crazy for the men’s game.