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1,500 Muslims will go to Cuyahoga Falls center to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, end of Ramadan fast
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
Published on Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008
CUYAHOGA FALLS: Dr. Ihsan Haque is a native of Pakistan.
Mekki Bayachou was born in Morocco.
Dr. Ahmad Jadallah traces his roots to Palestine.
Although they are diverse in their nationalities, they are brothers — bound together by their Islamic faith. Their diversity is representative of the makeup of the local community at the Islamic Community Center on Steels Corners Road, where people have connections to homelands on at least five continents — Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
''Culturally, we may have some differences but we have a common bond of religion,'' said Bayachou, a chemistry professor at Cleveland State University. ''There is a verse in the Quran that says God made us different people and different tribes so we can know each other.''
Today, the three men and their families will be among the 1,500 Muslims expected at the Islamic Community Center to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. The festival of fast-breaking marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month in which Muslims observe a strict fast, seek spiritual renewal and give charitably. Eid is a time to give charity to those in need and celebrate the completion of Ramadan with family and friends.
The local community will come together there on Saturday for another Eid party and to celebrate the grand opening of the new outdoor recreation area. The area south of the mosque includes a pavilion, playground, soccer field and basketball, tennis and volleyball courts.
Saturday's outdoor event will remind Bayachou, Jadallah and Haque of how Eid is celebrated in their native countries.
''Everybody there gets up early and dresses up nice. We gather in an open field or some other open-air location for the communal prayer. Even if you have a mosque, it is preferred to gather outdoors,'' said Haque, a local cardiologist. ''After the prayer, the elders get together and then spread out to go visit
family members and friends, greeting as many people as possible and giving gifts [usually money] to the children.''
Haque, Bayachou and Jadallah said logistics made it easier to visit more people in their native countries because everyone lived within walking distance.
''It's not practical here because everyone lives farther apart. So we all meet here at the community center and we pray indoors,'' said Jadallah, a local obstetrician/gynecologist. ''When you're in a majority-Islamic country, some of the traditions associated with Eid are cultural. This community is so diverse that you get an opportunity to learn so much about different cultures. It wasn't until I started coming here that I really understood the diversity of the religion.''
The local Islamic community is made up of people from the greater Akron, Cleveland, Canton and Youngstown areas. It includes members from a variety of places including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, India, Iraq, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tahiti and the United States.
''My children are experiencing a different kind of Eid than I did growing up,'' Bayachou said. ''In Morocco, it was a pretty monolithic society. But here, we have a multidimensional community that enriches our understanding of the religion and how it includes people from everywhere.''
While members of the community share components of their various cultures, like food and customs, their religious traditions are universal.
Before the day of Eid, each Muslim family gives a determined donation to the poor to ensure that the needy can have a holiday meal and participate in the celebration. The donation is known as sadaqah al-fitr (charity of fast-breaking).
Many Muslims also fulfill the third pillar of Islam — Zakat — by the end of Ramadan. Zakat is the monetary form of worship that aims to purify one's wealth and positions by giving 2.5 percent of the net income earned in a year to the poor or the needy.
On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer and hear a sermon. After the prayer, the Islamic faithful normally visit family and friends. Locally, much of the visiting will be done at the community center, but some will visit each other's homes and make phone calls to distant relatives to share well-wishes for the holiday.
Traditionally, the festival of fast-breaking is a three-day celebration. In most Muslim countries, the period is an official government holiday.
''Eid is very special here in our community because we have so many different nationalities represented. This is an experience that can perhaps only be repeated in Mecca, where people from all over the world pilgrimage each year,'' said Imam Nader Taha, spiritual leader of the local community. ''What you see here is a sign of unity — a United Nations of sorts, bound by a common religion.''
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
CUYAHOGA FALLS: Dr. Ihsan Haque is a native of Pakistan.
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