Tradition, festivity mark end of fast for Muslims Matthew Albright, The News Journal11:07 p.m. EDT July 28, 2014 From before sunrise until sunset, 13-year-old Tarik Omari did not eat or drink during most of the past month. When I fast, it makes me understand what people who live on the streets in poverty go through he said. It really makes me think about what I have and how lucky I am. Omari was following the traditions of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, self-reflection and spiritual renewal for Muslims all over the world. He woke in the early hours Monday morning with a sense of excitement and purpose in his Chester, Pa., home. It was Eid al-Fitr, one of Islams highest holy days that marks the breaking of the fast. Normally, when I have to wake up early, Im miserable, Omari said. Not today. Today is sort of like our Christmas. Muslims across Delaware celebrated the day with ceremonies and parties – a joint morning prayer ceremony filled the Chase Center on the Riverfront ballroom in Wilmington to capacity, and local leaders like Gov. Jack Markell came to show their support. There were also more intimate gatherings scattered throughout the day. At the Tarbiyah School near Newark where Omari celebrated, a crowd of families enjoyed a classic summer party, with hamburgers, an ice cream truck, a pick-up soccer game, inflatable games and a water slide for the children. Eid is a time for celebration. Its a time to gather with family and with friends and be happy together, said Amna Latif, the schools director. That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to create a wonderful atmosphere so that our kids know how important today is. Though abstaining from food and drink is perhaps its best known aspect, Ramadan is about more than simply avoiding physical pleasures, according to University of Delaware professor Muqtedar Khan. If you get angry, you break your fast. If you cheat, you break your fast. If you lie, you break your fast, said Khan, himself a Muslim. Ramadan is like a spiritual boot camp. At the end of the month, people come back with renewed fervor. Even as Eid al-Fitr celebrates breaking the fast, it also crystallizes the giving spirit of Ramadan. Throughout the month, wealthier Muslims are expected to make donations and gifts to the less fortunate, Khan said. Mosques have some of their biggest fundraisers for charitable causes during the month. But on the final holy day, every Muslim is expected to give at least the value of one meal – this year a price set at $10. And parents shower their children with new clothes and other gifts. Its difficult to pin down how many practicing Muslims live in Delaware, Khan said, but he pegs the number at somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000. The majority of those residents are in New Castle County, though there are two mosques in Dover and one in Georgetown, he said. Khan says there are at least 12 places where Muslims can regularly participate in Friday prayers across the state. That includes mosques, but also home congregations and places like the University of Delaware, which hosts gatherings on campus. Saleem Khan, who has an adolescent psychology practice in Rockford Center, said he is glad to see so many Eid events in Delaware drawing so many people. When he started out here more than 30 years ago, only a few families were actively trying to practice Islam. There was a very passionate effort then to get together and try to create a sense of community, he said. So when I see the situation today, and all the ways that families can celebrate, it is a source of great excitement and great joy. Though there are times when local events and international news create tensions, those at Mondays event said Delaware is largely a welcoming place. In his experience, Saleem Khan said the overall community is welcoming, though there are occasional bad actors. From time to time, he hears reports of students being harassed at school or of Muslims facing prejudice in shops and on the street. Last October, vandals knocked down a sign in front of the Islamic Society of Delaware, damaged a digital sign with rocks and broke a white picket fence into pieces, using some of them to make a cross. But several in attendance Monday said the response to the incident put a spotlight on the states mostly welcoming culture. After the damage was discovered, a crowd of multiple faiths, joined by several government officials, turned out to show support for the mosque. For Latif, Ramadan and celebrations like Eid are a good way to open doors to talk about Islam and to build understanding. During a fast, many Muslims find co-workers and friends trying to understand more. They ask a lot of questions. I think thats a good thing, because they are trying to do it respectfully, she said. I think it is good for us to be out in the community and building that understanding. Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline or at (302) 324-2428. Follow him on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 17:26:48 +0000
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