A recent NPR report on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's public Ramadan events exemplifies a broader media pattern: portraying Islam as a neutral, purely spiritual faith while obscuring its civilizational and political dimensions. The story portrays public prayers and communal iftar meals as harmless cultural inclusion, portraying them as efforts to "normalize Muslim life" in the city. The Political and Military Significance of Ramadan In NPR's coverage, Ramadan appears merely as a tradition of communal meals and a marker of diversity. Large iftar events organized alongside the government, including one held in a prison complex, are described as gestures...