PATERSON — Midway through Ramadan, Muslims across the United States are striving to maintain the holy month’s traditional mix of prayers and festive spirit under a cloud of worrisome events.
The federal government’s immigration crackdown has affected many of their communities. Virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric is surging. And now the Middle East — where many have loved ones — is buffeted by the Iran war.
In Paterson, New Jersey — home to one of the country’s highest per capita Muslim populations — 18-year-old Haneen Alatiyat regrets that fear and uncertainty are keeping many community members from gathering to embrace Ramadan’s communal traditions…