US Muslims celebrate Eid

COLUMBUS, Ohio: After a long time, Eid was celebrated on the same day by the American Muslims. This alone should have been a reason to rejoice. The past few years has seen Eid being celebrated on up to three different days, creating division among families and mosques. But Eid 2016 was somber and subdued. The recent terrorist attacks in the most sacred month of Ramadan and in the most holy city of Madinah weighed heavily on people’s hearts and mind.
“I feel no joy this Eid,” a lady said, “I keep thinking of the charred bodies of the innocent victims who were killed by terrorist. How can Muslims do such a thing especially in the holy city of Madinah? I am ashamed to think a Pakistani man was behind the Jeddah attack. I am originally from Karachi.”
Jay, who became a Muslim five years ago, said, “I am very confused by the terrorist attacks. I do not understand why a Muslim would do that. The Islam that I know clearly does not condone killing. But I am comforted by the love I have been given by fellow Muslims especially during Ramadan and Eid. People have opened their hearts and doors to us. This means a lot to me as I have no support from my family since I became a Muslim”
There were multiple Eid prayers and sermons in the over 20 local mosques.
Dr. Ahmed Mosalem in his khutba, tried to give a very positive message to the Muslims. He emphasized that Muslims, who were only one percent of the local population, faced a lot of challenge and competition. They would be very successful if they were proactive, creative, optimistic and learned lessons from the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) life. He also gave the famous example of Thomas Alva Edison where when he told a reporter who asked him how many times he had failed before making the light bulb. Edison supposedly, told him, that it took 700 attempts, “But I have not failed 700 times but rather demonstrated that those 700 ways will not work.”
A Palestinian woman who has been living in the US for the past 30 years said, “I still reminisce about the Eid I spent in Palestine among friends and family. Unfortunately, Syria, Iraq have all become like Palestine. People are displaced, have become refugees, like we once were.” A Bangladeshi woman also remembered her Eid in her town of Sylhet. “We never prayed in mosques there, so I definitely like that here in the US. But in all the twenty years, I have lived here, I have not found a cup of tea, as good as the ones that came from Sylhet tea gardens.”
Children, young and innocent, oblivious of the world problems enjoyed Eid to the fullest. One of them even brought a pet rabbit in a little bag, to the Eid prayers. “First I thought it was a stuffed animal.” Said Sunna, who sat next to the little five year old. “But to my amazement, it started shaking its head so I realized it was a live rabbit. Everyone came and said, ‘How cute’ to the rabbit. The mother of the girl, called out to them, ‘Hey what about my daughter, isn’t she cute.”
Most young kids did not seem to know why Eid was celebrated, but they professed a great love for Eid, “Because we get presents.” Every boy this reporter spoke to said, they had wanted and received a car. Some got a bat mobile, a Lightning McQueen. The girls got beads, dolls, play make-up. One five-year-old said, “I didn’t get a present, but I got $210 so I can buy my own presents.”
Everyone prayed for peace to return and for the bloodshed to stop. Some prayed that Donald Trump is not the next president of the US.