25 September 2009
Muslim Americans Mix Old and New Traditions in Eid Celebrations
Worshippers pack Atlanta mosque and celebrate at California’s Disneyland
Washington — Despite its size, Al-Farooq Masjid (mosque) of Atlanta, Georgia — a soaring structure of stone, travertine marble and elaborate brickwork — was filled with worshippers for Eid-al-Fitr prayer services marking the end of Ramadan on September 20.
“We had about 4,500 worshippers. They were packed upstairs, downstairs, even in the stairwell,” said Khalid Saddiq, public relations director for Atlanta Masjid. Eid services were also held at other locations around Atlanta, including three shifts of prayer services at the convention-sized North Atlanta Trade Center.
The crowds at Atlanta Masjid reflect the region’s large and growing Muslim population, now estimated at 75,000. But the fact that Eid fell on a normal Sunday holiday this year increased the numbers, Saddiq points out.
After the service, worshippers gathered in native dress and traditional Islamic attire, highlighting the diversity of Atlanta’s Muslim-American community. Families came from more than 50 countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
FAITH AND TRADITION
In many respects, American Muslims, whatever their backgrounds, celebrate Eid and the completion of a month of Ramadan fasting — one of the five pillars of Islam — much like the rest of the more than 1 billion Muslims around the world.
“Eid is a day of celebrating, a day of harvest, a day of forgiveness, reconciliations and a day of peace,” wrote Mohammed Khaku, past president of the Al-Ahad Islamic Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Following special prayer services, which include donations to the poor, Eid festivities revolve around family gatherings, gift giving, and meals with traditional foods that usually include a variety of sweet dishes.
President Obama marked the occasion with a White House statement extending personal greetings from himself and his wife, Michelle. “Eid is a time to celebrate the completion of 30 days and nights of devotion.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recalled that her husband, then-President Bill Clinton, held the White House’s first Eid celebration in 1996.
“This time of self-reflection reminds us that the values of Islam — charity, community, cooperation, compassion — are values that we hold dear as Americans, and which have contributed so much to American culture,” Secretary Clinton said.
COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES
Eid traditions can vary by family, mosque and regions of the country. In Atlanta, Saddiq and his family participated in Chand Raat, or night of the moon, which is celebrated throughout South Asia on the night before Eid.
They visited an Atlanta bazaar with stalls offering gifts, holiday clothing and henna hand painting, which is especially popular with young girls.
Mostafa Tolba, director of the Muslim American Society’s Quranic Institute in Detroit, has seen two big changes in Eid celebrations over the past decade. One is much less isolation of individual mosques consisting of members from a single ethnic group, whether Egyptian, Pakistani or Yemeni.
“Today, there is much more mixing of people of every background, a sense that we are one nation, Americans,” he said.
The other change is greater knowledge of astronomy, he observed with some relief, which has almost ended old arguments about when the sighting of the new moon marks the end of Ramadan.
His family, which includes seven children and one grandchild, serves traditional Arabian food on Eid, plus an American tradition: pizza.
Living in Los Angeles, Salaam Al-Marayati and his family can take advantage of a somewhat newer activity: celebrating Eid at one of the area’s famous amusement parks — Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Magic Mountain or Universal Studios Hollywood, among others.
“Eid with Mickey Mouse,” Marayati said with a laugh.
On a more serious note, Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said Ramadan fasting in the United States can be a tougher challenge than in other countries. The whole pace of life changes in Muslim countries, he pointed out, with a slower schedule during the day and more activity at night.
“But in America, there’s no real change with work and the rest of society,” Marayati said. His 15-year-old son faced a difficult challenge with fasting during football, especially the problem of dehydration.
“I told him to give it a try — that there are more important things than the game,” Maryati said. His son made it through Ramadan successfully. The head coach wasn’t too thrilled with a fasting player, but an assistant coach simply told his son, “Good for you.”
SALES, SHOPPING AND CHILDREN
Eid celebrations hardly approach the scale of traditional American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that hasn’t deterred retailers.
Hallmark, the nation’s largest greeting card company, has offered Eid cards since 2003.
Eid gifts are not yet a common sight in U.S. department stores, but a retailer like Online-Islamic-Store.com, based in Columbia, Maryland, sells a wide range of Eid items. They include cards, gift bags, picture books, CDs — and a 24-centimeter-high “Happy Eid Mosque” paper statuette.
Looking for an “After Eid” sale? Try Shukr, an Islamic clothing company with online stores in the United States, Canada and Britain. Shukr has its headquarters and “physical” retail stores in Jordan and Syria, although it hopes to expand to North America in the future.
One sign that Eid in the United States is growing in visibility: complaints that it is becoming overly “commercialized,” echoing a traditional complaint about Christmas.
Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council isn’t too worried, since Eid is preceded by the discipline of Ramadan. Still, at the beginning of Ramadan, Marayati posted a wry note on his Facebook page: “Only 33 more shopping days until Eid.”
