Sacramento Eid Festivities Draw Thousands
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with a great deal of fervor and enthusiasm in Sacramento, California on the same day, Friday June 15, 2018 by all the Mosques and Islamic Centers in the region. The area can boast of having one of the oldest American Muslim communities in existence along with the first continually operating Mosque in the Western United States (established in 1947). Located at 411 V Street, this Mosque held two shifts of Eid prayers to accommodate the large volume of worshippers.
The festivities for this Eid actually started South Asian style with a glamorous Chand Raat (the night of the Eid moon sighting) on Thursday, June 14th at the White Lotus Banquet Hall in Citrus Heights where close to a thousand people thronged the parking lot and the inside facilities to partake in the breaking of the fast, shop for Eid clothes, get Mehndi or Henna patterns on their hands and share food available for purchase.
One could just imagine sitting in Karachi, Lahore or Delhi at this venue, as it appeared to appear so. There were churian (glass bangles) and mithai (sweets) for sale which is a staple for Eid days in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. Another great thing to note was the presence of all of these three communities (Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian) in significant numbers plus a sprinkling of Afghanis, with Sikhs and Hindus helping with the Muslim Iftar, and doing some brisk business selling food and other items. In the spirit of Eid which marks the end of Ramzan (Ramadan) this is a festival of sharing with all communities. This event had several such positives. A performance by the Toronto, Canada-based group Deen Squad provided some Halal entertainment.
The next day this writer attended prayers at the SALAM Islamic Center which was a full house and more. Not only was the beautiful SALAM Mosque full but so was its Auditorium and Community Center. From what one can gather from this reality, there is a need for additional Mosques in the region now, and that we need more such American Islamic Centers where education is stressed, inclusion of women is encouraged and outreach to the mainstream (non-Muslim) community is the norm. The Eid Prayers here were very ably conducted by Iman Kashif Ahmad and the congregation in attendance consisted of every race and ethnicity one can think of which is reflective of this progressive institution. SALAM is a wonderful community which is continuing to educate both within and outside the Muslim community. A post-prayer festival was also arranged at SALAM for families to share.
Last but not least was a stopover at Tarbiya Institute where possibly the largest Eid prayers in the Sacramento region were held. A great deal of socializing was taking place here along with the consumption of various Halal foods ranging from all-American pizza to South Asian and Middle Eastern Kababs. Imam Azeez who conducted the prayers here earlier was on hand to greet everyone through the lunch hour.
Eid Mubarak to all of our readers.
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