Time of celebration, reflection as Worcester Islamic Center welcomes end of Ramadan
It was a time for celebrating faith and community, with balloons, a bouncy castle, petting zoo and feasting, as a crowd gathered Saturday at the Worcester Islamic Center for the Eid festival, celebrating the end of Ramadan.
Friends Asfiya Samreen and Stephanie Hamilton stood in line to have their photos taken in front of a glittering, golden backdrop.
After the month-long observance of Ramadan, which requires fasting from dawn until sunset, they said it was wonderful to have a great meal. They also enjoyed meeting the animals including ducks and rabbits in the petting zoo, which was moved indoors along with other activities due to the heavy rain.
"We met as volunteers here at the masjid," said Asifya, referring to the Arabic word for mosque. Hamilton adopted the religion of Islam about five months ago.
Finding a spiritual path
Muslims refer to the act of becoming Muslim as reverting and Hamilton describes herself as five month old in her new spiritual life. Celebrating her first Eid as a Muslim, Hamilton said she was drawn to the Islamic religion because of its spiritual outlook. "It will clarify your life and make you better and stronger," Hamilton said.
The mosque serves followers of Sunni Islam, the larger of two major branches of Islam. In addition to a place of worship and faith education, mosques including the Worcester Islamic Center provide numerous services.
The festival was held in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which occurred March 29 to 30, and signaled the conclusion of the Ramadan fast. The Islamic calendar, known as the Hijri calendar, goes by the lunar cycle, with the sighting of the new moon marking the start of Eid.
At the festival, a sense of social conscience prevailed, with a voter registration drive. Booths represented relief organizations assisting Palestinian civilians caught in the Israel-Hamas conflict and for the people of Syria where a long civil war has been marked by the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
'It's a time to raise awareness'
At one booth, Ayeh Tanteh, a first-generation Syrian American, was giving out tickets to the Eid raffle, as well as information on relief efforts in Syria for orphans and others for whom the war has brought homelessness, hunger and the struggle to rebuild their lives.
"It's a time to raise awareness. There is a lot of rebuilding. Many are trying to rebuild their homes," said Tanteh, whose family still has many family and friends in Syria. "It's a nonprofit to help rebuild Syria after 14 years of war to end this regime."
This year's Eid festival drew about 1,000 people, Muhammad Xhemali, who served a long stint as acting imam at the Worcester Islamic Center, said. "We provide an opportunity for friends and family to meet and come together after Ramadan, which is a month of worship for revelation of the Quran."
For Muslims, Ramadan commemorates Mohammed, the holiest prophet in Islam, receiving the Quran and other sacred texts.
Although Eid is a celebratory time, Xhemali said many concerns are weighing on the congregation of the mosque including the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which began in Oct. 7, 2023, with a deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel and taking of hostages.
In the Hamas attack on Israeli communities, gunmen killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli numbers. Israel's campaign has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Asked about the civilian deaths on both sides, Xhemali said, "If we could get to the point of addressing the occupation, we might find a solution to all this."
The voter registration drive held at the mosque is partly in response to disappointment in the Worcester City Council, which declined to take action on a resolution calling for the U.S. to facilitate and demand a Gaza ceasefire.
For a new imam, 'there are definitely challenges'
Also at the Eid festival was the Worcester Islamic Center's new imam, Vajid Pathan, a Connecticut native who brings more than 12 years of teaching, community service and leadership, and whose experience includes director of religious affairs at the Islamic Center of Morgantown, West Virginia.
"There are definitely challenges," said Pathan of his new post including serving a vastly diverse community. "The best is how to be able to create and facilitate programs that are beneficial to everyone." In addition to facilities for worship and religious education, the mosque provides a regular health clinic, food assistance and support for refugees including many who have come to the area from Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban's renewed control.
With Ramadan as a month that emphasizes helping those in need, Tahir Ali, media relations coordinator for Worcester Islamic Center, said, "Fasting reminds us that so many people in this world do not get enough to eat. It's a time to be more generous than normal."
Ali said, "We usually do so much charity and we have a big community. We have people from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and of course, Americans."