MAS-SSF Senior Eid Celebration Mushaira in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui

 

The Muslim American Society-Social Services Foundation (MAS-SSF) held an Eid Celebration for Seniors at the Town & Country Event Center (Al-Maidah Restaurant) in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova on Sunday July 9, 2023. The celebration took on the form of a Mushaira (Urdu poetry recital) but it was a whole lot more. There was food, prizes, a great deal of socialization besides the poetry which was presented in Urdu, Punjabi, and English. And it was great to see that amongst the organizers and attendees at this event were Arabic, Dari, and Pashto speakers.

For those who may not be aware, MAS-SSF has been at the forefront of community service in the Sacramento area for quite a while now. It also offers counseling services in many languages to new immigrants to the area, Shifa for the Youth, Community Workshops, Al Afia for Seniors, AMALA, The Muslim Youth Hopeline, Muslim TAY (transitional aged youth ages 15-25) Advocacy Program and Amanah House, a Domestic Violence Shelter for Muslim Women. MAS appears to prefer a holistic pathway to address the well-being of children, youth, women, the aged, and the community at large with its emphasis on social services and mental health. 

 Since the focus of this event was on community seniors, the Al Afia for Seniors program is highlighted here. It is a part of MAS-SSF’s efforts to prevent depression, anxiety, isolation, and feelings of helplessness associated with aging. Details of program activities were shared, as this was the third such event for community seniors held (one was online due to COVID) by MAS-SSF and we hope to see many more as the senior population in the area Muslim community continues to grow.

The program started after a late lunch and afternoon prayers. A fine Qur’an recitation by young Moosa Arif marked the commencement of the proceedings. Our host coordinator Mohammed Khader was the first speaker who welcomed everyone and introduced the team of MAS Officials present who were responsible for making this gathering possible. Next the President of MAS-SSF Brother Tamer Ahmed spoke briefly. He quoted from a Hadith and stressed the need to honor the elderly in our community and to appreciate them for all that they have done for us. 

Next, Mirwais Saqeb furnished more details on various MAS-SSF programs and said that the Al Afia program for Seniors has been active since the year 2015. He also highlighted some important issues such as the training of new immigrants on interacting with local law enforcement and on how their children are raised in the new environment which is now their home.

Guest speaker, Sister Durriya Syed followed next with an informative speech on some challenges faced by seniors. She focused on one issue which is the handling of grief after the loss of a loved one. She described five phases on how we handle grief through denial, anger, bargaining with God, depression and eventual acceptance. She also shared information on the California Senior Gateway ( www.seniors.ca.gov ) where seniors can access valuable information and assistance.

Before we move on to the poetry session here a shoutout to Sister Sarah Ahmad and her team for keeping everyone entertained with quiz questions, a spin the wheel raffle and handing out prizes. Keeping seniors happy during a long event is never easy, but the trio of ladies did a fine job at it here.

Now to the poetry recital. Event emcee Naeem Syed was awarded a ‘bravery prize” and Meer Nazeer was handed the task of monitoring the Mushaira to make sure that people stayed within their allotted time limit of three minutes (few did). Naeem Syed conducted the proceedings very well and kept his sense of humor going during the entire process. 

Several people presented their poetry here, in some cases their original work. Others presented the work of well-known masters of the craft. Two husband and wife teams also shared the limelight. Zia and Saira Zafir presented their original poetry, and  in the case of Najme and Seema Minhaj some borrowed material, which was well-received. Senior poet Syed Ali (Talib) Zaidi also shared his original Kalam (work) along with Ayub Memon whose sharing of his deeply personal thoughts moved us all.  

Senior journalist Ariful Haque Arif also injected some humor into the gathering along with Faisal Ali. Urdu works can also include the topic of food, and both used it well. Mohammad Arif presented some of his Punjabi work here and Sister Laurel Benhamida an English poem, making this gathering multilingual. Meer Nazeer ended the Mushaira by sharing a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a great choice.

To conclude, this Eid gathering was a great effort by MAS-SSF. They deserve praise for getting several community seniors together in one place to enjoy company, good food, poetry, and an afternoon of positive thoughts. We need to have more events like these for seniors across America, where old friendships can be maintained, and new ones created.

Besides grief, loneliness is a major factor in the aging process in this country. Many old people are empty nesters, and some have lost their spouses. Their children are busy with their careers and their own nuclear family. Gatherings like these are essential. Thanks MAS-SSF for thinking about us old folks.