Muslims in Indonesia began observing holy month of Ramadan as food prices surge

Описание: (19 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jakarta, Indonesia - 19 February 2026
1. Various of Muslims praying at the Istiqlal Mosque
2. Muslims arriving at the mosque ahead of iftar
3. Staff push trolleys loaded with food packages in plastic bags for distribution
4. A staff member carries plastic bags filled with meals
5. Close-up of plastic bags containing meals
6. Cleric delivering a sermon while worshippers wait for iftar
7. Various of man wearing a mask listening to the sermon
8. Muslim women sit while reading the Quran
9. Various of women arriving and joining other worshippers seated on the mosque’s terrace floor
10. Various of staff beginning to distribute meals to worshippers
11. SOUNDBITE (Indonesian) Bukhori, administrator of Istiqlal Mosque:
“We are grateful, alhamdulillah. As long as we can bring benefits to people, because this iftar is not specifically intended for the poor but for all Muslims. In our teachings, anyone who provides food for someone who is fasting will receive the same reward as the one who is fasting.”
12. Tilt up from a box of food to women drinking water as iftar begins
13. Women eating after breaking fast
14. SOUNDBITE (Indonesian) Setiyawati Elok, resident and mother:
“My child used to be afraid of meeting people or being in a new environment. So I bring my children to Istiqlal (mosque) to break the fast together as a form of therapy so that they can adapt to others. At first it was not easy, but over time they improved and began to understand what prayer is. Now they are no longer afraid to meet people; in fact, they always initiate handshakes.”
15. People sitting in front of the Istiqlal Mosque
STORYLINE:
Millions of Muslims in Indonesia began observing Ramadan on Thursday, welcoming the holy month while grappling with soaring food prices.

Mosques were flooded with devotees offering evening prayers known as “tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan.

Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.”

In Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in southeast Asia, tens of thousands of worshippers crammed together shoulder-to-shoulder.

The mass iftar at Istiqlal Grand Mosque held on the first day of the holy month draws thousands every year.

Bukhori, an administrator of Istiqlal Mosque, who is responsible for organizing the communal iftar event, said that more than 4,000 meal packages are prepared every day and around 6,500 packages each weekend.

The meal packages come from donations provided by a number of sponsors.

“In our teachings, anyone who provides food for someone who is fasting will receive the same reward as the one who is fasting," he said.

Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset for the whole month.

Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast.

At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.

The daylong fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor.

Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation.

AP video by Andi Jatmiko

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