Washington, February 26 (QNA) - The Holy month of Ramadan began in Washington, United States, in a rapidly evolving political and professional environment. Fasting started on Feb. 18, 2026, with the final date had been subject to variations in crescent sighting methods by Islamic centers and domestically approved entities.

Fasting hours during the early month of Ramadan in Washington seem to be relatively shorter compared to spring and summer seasons, offering a wide spectrum of workers more room to realign the business day to accommodate pre-dawn meals and earlier office rushing hours, as well as between daytime meetings and Iftar gathering time, which represents a shifting point in the physical and psychological energies of those fasting Ramadan.

Despite this short fasting day, however, Washington isn't merely a normal business city, but a hub of the US federal system, as well as the executive, legislative, and judicial enterprises, alongside numerous think tanks, lobby groups, civil society organizations, and media outlets.

With this complex fabric, Muslims have a striking presence in decision-making enterprises, in terms of number and organization. They show up in public settings as part of broader debates on religious diversity and comprehensive workplaces, in addition to transforming the recognition of religious occasions into practical routines that maintain workflow without compromising religious privacy.

Virtually, Ramadan in Washington is no longer a religious occasion for communities there but has literally gone far beyond to remain a test for enterprises' respect for religious plurality in workplaces without creating privileges.

In their official discourse in recent years, federal institutions in the US have gotten accustomed to including Ramadan in their congratulatory messages and official statements, explicitly manifesting this occasion on the American national stage.

This fact is well corroborated by an example during the 2025 Ramadan, when the White House delivered a presidential message to mark this holy month, in which it stressed the principles of religious freedom as one of the core tenets in the US.

On March 27, 2025, apparently, the White House hosted an Iftar dinner with US President Donald Trump in attendance. The occasion featured a political conversation about the relationship with American Muslims and their role in public life.

Many segments of Muslims in Washington conceive these religious gatherings as an indication of eventual departure from symbolic recognition to concrete attempts to merge these occasions with the public agenda.

Reciprocally, many working Muslims see that symbolism alone doesn't ensure comfort in bustling workplaces, since the real test lies in the details of management and corporate behavior, i.e., meeting schedules, travel rules, as well as evening activities and balance of power, in terms of employees' needs and real task requirements.

Practical experience in Washington clearly demonstrates that managing Ramadan in public institutions doesn't depend solely on goodwill, but is interlocked in internal rules and instructions, as well as a leadership culture capable of turning these rules into rational solutions.

In some US entities, a broad range of notions have emerged in terms of rational arrangement and flexibility in duty shifts, as well as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and employee networking that perform supportive roles in several entities.

Some of these groups work to dedicate space for moral and professional outreach, offering practical tips to those observing the fast, in terms of professionally fashioning flexibility requests, as well as modes of focus during afternoon and handling invitations to lunch and social events without engaging in any kind of embarrassment.

These networks help familiarize non-Muslim co-workers with the true meanings of fasting and its details, away from stereotypes and flawed assumptions that fasting would inhibit work capabilities or make those fasting unwilling to engage.

When requesting facilitations, many Muslim employees almost depend on regulatory frameworks that pertain to safeguarding the religious faith and prevent discrimination, suggesting that what is intended isn't work disruption or reducing production, but rather creating an equilibrium that preserves task performance and religious privacy.

Legal discussions in the United States have gained momentum following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Groff v. DeJoy, which reinterpreted the standard of undue hardship that an employer must meet when granting religious accommodations. This has been reflected on human resources language within many institutions, particularly large organizations with strict procedural rules.

Ramadan arrangements in the US are amorphous, as they commonly remain within the scope of minor details that shape the general sentiment of those fasting.

In Washington, the most prevalent scenarios include an early start of duty hours before Iftar gatherings, when the nature of the job necessitates. This approach is increasingly preferred in timely, flexibly administered work teams, with some employees noting that it reduces evening backlogs and helps maintain religious observance and family time.

Short prayer intervals are fairly common in workplaces, as some duty stations either unofficially dedicate limited minutes throughout the day or take advantage of rest intervals for prayers without disrupting work. 

Abdullah Al Saidi, Yemeni-American citizen, tells Qatar News Agency (QNA) that duty arrangements during Ramadan in Washington are mostly limited and practical, but leave a profound impact on those observing the fast, as long as the early start of work and return from duties before Iftar help mitigate the evening backlog and subsequently provide time for worship and family engagements.

In many duty stations, maintaining schedule alignments provides worship intervals throughout the day, with the intent of offering those fasting spaces to worship without disrupting work or team obligations, Al Saidi outlined, suggesting that this kind of routine underscores a growing recognition of religious diversity needs in the workplace. 

Foremost among these arrangements is rescheduling meetings to morning or midday whenever possible, since those observing the fast will undertake tasks at these hours rather than during end-of-day hours. The key purpose is to avoid direct conflict with Iftar gathering times.

In certain roles, rescheduling either hybrid or remote work mostly helps mitigate commuting-related exhaustion, offering those observing the fast, more disciplined day management to become versatile and undertake occupational commitments. 

Several employees suggest that the success of this rescheduling formula is not solely dependent on regulations but also closely linked to the team's inherent culture and communication skills, as most those fasting pursue a calm approach when submitting requests by proposing realistic alternatives and ensuring the flow of work while respecting task requirements.

As talks have shifted from conventional workplaces to the uppermost echelons of the decision-making process, the US Congress is one of the high-pressure workplaces, especially for congressional legislative officials who daily engage in hearing sessions, fashion legislative bills, and conduct media briefings.

 In this context, the particular nature of Ramadan is demonstrated, as the day doesn't end with the close of duty but rather extends into prolonged nights of follow-up and communications, making human energy organization an overriding priority.

 Muslim congressional leaders suggest that the true challenge isn't the fasting per se, but explicitly the accumulation of other overwhelming factors, such as mental pressures, mounting emails, rapid changes, and growing number of meetings.

Reciprocally, some suggest that during Ramadan they are endowed with internal discipline to arrange priorities, as every moment requires sharp focus in discharging duties, with Iftar gatherings serving as a time to recharge before preparing for night commitments. 

Observers note that recognition of Ramadan inside Congress often takes the form of symbolic gestures, not as operational legislation, but rather carrying meaningful political and social implications about Muslims' status in public life. As such, the decisive factor is practical: how teamwork is implemented, along with the flexibility of office managers and the ability to distribute assignments while maintaining fairness among employees.

While nuances exist in office and legislative workplaces in terms of challenges, priorities become even more evident in security and military establishments, where discipline and readiness are overriding considerations, making Ramadan a particularly special experience.

Muslim workers in security and military sectors suggest that fasting does not, in principle, run counter to work, but rather requires stringent, wholesome planning and ample pre-dawn meals and sleep, as well as smart distribution of laborious tasks during the hours when they are fully energized.

Some of those personnel indicate that federal departments are always inclined to deal with Ramadan in terms of performance and safety, not solely through religious rituals. The safety and performance measures either entail replacing duty shifts where possible, reducing unnecessary meetings by the end of the day, or providing flexibility during rest times as per regulations, with particular emphasis on task requirements as the overriding framework governing any arrangement.

Research centers and think-tanks in the US seem to have become less stringent with respect to official duty hours, as the culture of work in those institutions largely depends on attending events and seminars, as well as dinner banquettes and gatherings during the night. As such, these routines mitigate pressure during fasting and protect worship hours from being consumed by social obligations.

Muslim researchers say they opt for some sort of action resembling a personal protocol that reduces the number of events and selects the significant ones, as well as adjourns meetings to post-Iftar schedules. They suggest that the success of this kind of equilibrium depends on straightforward outreach, however, they outline that extending apologies shouldn't be construed as evading occupational life but as a temporal reorganization imposed by this Holy month.

While the strategies of this equilibrium vary in US think-tanks, Ramadan's uniqueness in Washington is demonstrated in the daily life of Muslim employees. These challenges differ from one enterprise to another.

A young employee in one of the federal institutions told QNA that the first day of Ramadan is the most challenging, not because of hunger, but because the normal work routine changes unexpectedly, noting that he had become well aware of how to address this challenge through proactive planning and devoting morning hours to accomplishing laborious tasks, as well as reducing afternoon meetings.

The pre-departure short time had been saved for calm and supplication and was approved by the direct manager to fashion a weekly meeting time schedule. This measure was sufficiently agile to make the whole fasting month more regulated and smoother, he pointed out.

A public policy environment female consultant affirmed to QNA that Ramadan for her is a double season: worship and self-evaluation, and simultaneously relentless occupational obligation. The employee added that she avoids overbooking during Ramadan and prefers work quality over quantity. As such, she requests a specific meeting, or holds it virtually, when necessary, with most co-workers understanding this circumstance when the message is clear and not overreacted to.

A female employee in the media sector, close to official institutions, highlighted that what mostly exhausts those fasting during Ramadan is the rush of evening hours, emphasizing that she tried time and again to maintain a serene Iftar gathering, but couldn't be due to the nature of her work. The employee noted that this was an attempt to develop versatility: fast Iftar, follow up on work, and save firm times for worship and Qur'an recitation.

The female added that, though this equilibrium procedure isn't perfect, it's realistic and preserves the essence of the whole month in an evolving bustling city.

In Washington, Ramadan and the public political climate are inseparable, as some public events morph into platforms for debate and differing opinions, especially given ongoing sensitive global issues that affect the sentiments of wide segments of US Muslims.

In such circumstances, most workers in enterprises strive to maintain the spiritual nature of Ramadan by not turning Iftar gatherings into political debate platforms, while others view Ramadan as a perfect occasion to promote social solidarity and discuss issues of rights and freedoms, as well as combat hateful rhetoric within a civic framework that doesn't override worship.

As time passes, accumulated expertise takes hold in the US Muslim community, which can be summed up in an unwritten protocol within decision-making enterprises. This includes early planning by incorporating Iftar gatherings and Taraweeh prayers into the personal calendar, as well as reviewing the first week ahead of pressure times.

This protocol comprises slashing night events without severing relationships, either through conveying courteous apologies, holding partial post-Iftar meetings, or redefining work outputs during Ramadan with a sharp focus on quality rather than quantity, and adjourning complex matters to other times when there is enhanced energy.

Many emphasize the importance of preserving worship in a realistic manner by dedicating fixed time for Qur'an recitation and magnanimous deeds, as well as undertaking perfect objectives that are difficult to achieve in a bustling city.

Since experiences differ as much as they do between security enterprises and think-tank ones, Ramadan in the sanctums of decision-making enterprises emerges as a complex mélange of worship and occupational discipline, requiring daily sensitivity to delimit what is private and what is public.

Muslims operating in decision-making enterprises do not seek wide exceptions, but rather reasonable space that makes them versatile: fasting and perform religious obligations without compromising their performance, ultimately ensuring worship never becomes a social burden or a long-standing subject for debate.

It is abundantly clear that successful Ramadan in decision-making environments does not solely depend on symbolic discourse, but rather on flexibility in the details, a culture of mutual respect, and employees' ability to turn Ramadan into an opportunity for discipline,  perfection and concentration, while preserving professionalism and efficiency.

With the clamor of politics and the calmness of worship, Ramadan in Washington has remained a daily experience and a moment of reflection in one of the busiest and most bustling cities in the world. (QNA)