MANCHESTER, NH – Friday morning a number of Muslims and immigrants in the city gathered at Islamic Society of New Hampshire on South Willow Street for Eid al-Fitr (March 20), a celebration of the end of Ramadan.
Eid is a major Islamic festival celebrated twice a year, a time to pray, celebrate, reflect, and spend time with family and friends. Friday’s celebration of Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking Fast) happens on the first day of Shawwal (the month after Ramadan) and marks the completion of the month-long fast. It is prohibited to fast on this day. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, happens later this year, in May.
Those gathered Friday performed the Eid prayer, and celebrated their happiness being with one another – although many who came together said they were unable to celebrate Eid the way they are used to, due to being far from their homelands. Yet, they are still grateful for the security they enjoy in New Hampshire and remain hopeful for a brighter future for their children.
Mahood Salar from Afghanistan said in his home country Eid prayer always is prayed in big open-air mosques (Idga) but today we pray separate because of no such spaces for all who celebrate.
He is hoping that the new mosque project located on Lagrange Avenue in Manchester, will be completed as soon as possible so all those from the Muslim community can pray together in a more appropriate space.
Abdel Traore, from Burkina Faso in West Africa, also expressed hope in the completion of the new mosque, a place more suitable for worship. He noted that the cold weather conditions prevent the kind of outdoor gatherings he is used to, and because of the constraints of the current location, the upper level of a commercial building on South Willow Street, also required creating three separate times of worship, to accommodate all those who wanted to pray.
Shahrukh Khan, Secretary of the Islamic Society of New Hampshire (ISNH), explained further that typically between 1,500 to 2,000 worshippers attend services, representing a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities from across the community, so it was necessary to create three services.
“As for the masjid [mosque] project, our goal is to complete it within the next one to two years. We are currently working toward raising a total of $500,000 to achieve partial occupancy. So far we’ve raised $95,334. Reaching this milestone will allow us to utilize the lower level of the building while continuing work on the main and second floors. This will also help reduce ongoing rental and operational expenses,” Khan said
For those interested in supporting the project, donations and pledges can be made through this campaign link.
For more information visit ISNH.us, or email info@isnh.us.