In Anchorage, Alaska, a growing Muslim community is in full swing preparing for Ramadan—with a few additional obstacles
In Anchorage, Alaska, one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse cities, and home to a growing Muslim community, celebrating Ramadan looks a little different—and requires a little more ingenuity—than in other parts of the world. The New York Times reports on how Muslims break the Ramadan fast at America’s northmost mosque, where geography poses a major problem for sourcing necessary foods and spices. Alaska already imports 95 percent of its food, and is continuing to feel the fallout effects of supply-chain disruptions. And while there are more halal options than there used to be in Anchorage—including three halal specialty shops—it can still be a challenge to find many ingredients. Residents start stocking up over a month in advance; bringing spices in from their hometowns of Senegal or Pakistan; practicing making dishes ahead of time; and even, for at least one resident, securing some hyper-local meat from a neighbor who hunts according to Islamic law and recently shared some halal caribou. —Alex Hinton
