Prayerful moment
End of Ramadan falls in shadow of deadly New Zealand tragedy
Men and children gather for prayers Tuesday during Eid al-fitr at the Islamic Center of the Capital District in Schenectady. Eid al-fitr marks the end of Ramadan.
Hebah Moflhi didn’t sleep Monday night. She was too busy celebrating the Muslim holiday Eid al-fitr, the end of the Ramadan month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, and too excited to eat her favorite foods again.
On Tuesday morning, the 15-year-old gathered with her family in Masjid As-salam, the storefront mosque on Central Avenue and a magnet for immigrants from all over the world, to celebrate one of the most important holidays in Islam. Albany police expected a couple thousand people to show up and mosque leadership said the number has grown every year.
“Dear brothers and sisters of Islam, today is the day of happiness,” said Imam Abdulkadir Elmi to rooms packed with worshipers.
Across the Capital Region Tuesday, thousands of Muslims celebrated the holiday, gathering for prayers and a sermon. They gave to charity — each person enough for “one day’s good meal,” around $10, others adding their annual contribution of 2.5 percent of their savings. They took off work and school to feast with family and friends.
This year, though, the “day of joy” fell in the shadow of tragedy — less than three months after a shooting in a New Zealand mosque killed 50 people. At Masjid As-salam, eight Albany police officers were on scene to direct traffic on Central Avenue and deter any violence.
“Unfortunately, during these times we have to be concerned,” said Lt. Anthony Geraci outside the mosque. “There is a lot of rhetoric of Islamophobia and we want to make sure everyone is safe and can come here at the mosque without fear of being harmed or attacked.”
The day after the New Zealand shooting, Geraci called community liaison Abdul Satar — who was beside him directing traffic on Central Avenue Tuesday — to ask what was needed. The relationship between police and the Muslim community is built on trust, he said, and something to be proud of.
Geraci said the mosque has an “unbelievable overwhelming sense of community” — seen when they raised more than $50,000 for fire victims and then invited community members, officials and first responders to iftar, the dinner breaking the daily fast during Ramadan, a week ago. “They open doors to non-believers. They encourage people to move from certainty to curiosity,” said Geraci, who brought his family for the meal.
One of the main pillars of Islam is charity — and Ramadan and Eid al-fitr are some of the best opportunities to share it.
“Fasting gives us a feeling of how people who are deprived of food and drink truly feel. That gives a sense and makes us more charitable so that we can share their plight and help the needy people throughout the world,” said Shamshad Ahmad, Masjid As-salam president. “When it comes to end, it’s really joyous we don’t have to fast anymore. We can have pleasure in eating and drinking again and a sense of achievement of obedience to God’s command.”
In neighboring towns, Alhidaya Mosque in Latham is hosting a drive for the fire victims this week. The Islamic Center of the Capital District in Schenectady hosted a drive Friday to sign up 46 new bone marrow donors to meet a shortage of more diverse, especially Asian, donors. Both mosques are hosting children’s carnivals this week.
Inside Masjid As-salam on Tuesday, Moflhi hugged her friends, 16-year-old twins from Jordan, all dressed in their best. She was born in Yemen but moved to Albany when she was 2 and grew up going to the mosque.
Around them, women bedecked in traditional bedazzled dresses embraced. Moms took photos of children posing. Girls held hands as they skittered between the rows and boys chased each other in any open space.
When prayers were over around 8:30 a.m., worshipers spilled out into the sunshine on Central Avenue, greeting each other with hugs and handshakes. Young men from the mosque handed out sweet pastries — just the start of feasting.
Salih Abdullah, who lives in Clifton Park with his wife and children, said he took off work and took the children out of school to celebrate the holiday with a family barbecue.
Now that the month of fasting, sacrifice and worship is over, he said it’s time to celebrate.
“This is the day where we’re happy and we praise the Creator for giving us the opportunity to be amongst the people we love,” he said.