Muslim community preps for pandemic Eid

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This article was published 22/05/2020 (2199 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE four members of the Farooqui family plan to dress up on Sunday to mark the end of Ramadan, but this year they will have nowhere to go to celebrate the biggest Muslim festival of the year.

“My husband and I are trying to create an Eid vibe to make it a little more fun,” Taj Shakir-Farooqui says of the pandemic-style celebration plans for their two young daughters, ages six and two.

“I’m going to keep the girls busy at home, make some cupcakes, Skype with friends.”

Eid is the day of celebration at the end of 30 days of fasting and praying during Ramadan, which ends at sundown on Saturday.

Winnipeg’s Muslim community usually marks Eid by gathering at the convention centre for congregational prayers. About 10,000 people attended last year. Restrictions on large groups because of COVID-19 meant adapting celebrations to smaller household groups and virtual Eid events hosted by Manitoba Islamic Association, says office manager Urooj Danish.

The online celebrations include a community prayer time at 10 a.m. on Sunday, followed by a noon-hour outdoor goody bag pickup for children under 10 at Grand Mosque, 2445 Waverley St., MIA Connections at 406 Edmonton St. and Masjid Bilal at 33 Warnock St.

Danish encourages families to decorate their cars and pose for photos at the contactless selfie booth on the west parking lot of Grand Mosque.

“They will stay in their cars and there will be volunteers making sure they follow protocols,” she said of the outdoor events.

Mosques across the city have been closed since March 13. Throughout Ramadan, members of the community connected through online activities instead of gathering nightly for prayers and community meals.

“The community is together through this,” said Danish of the virtual mosque programs during the past two months. “We have been receiving a lot of good feedback.”

Shakir-Farooqui said Ramadan was more challenging this year because she couldn’t visit her Toronto-based family or attend community meals after evening prayers.

“At night, you pray as a community, you get your spiritual energy from people around you,” said the south Winnipeg resident. “The whole spirit of Ramadan is a community thing.”

The stay-at-home Ramadan did have some unexpected side benefits for mortgage broker Merdia Imame who used her former commuting time to cook special meals for her family of four. Usually she shares evening meals with her extended family of 25 people in two generations, but social distancing protocols and a ban on gatherings of more than 10 during most of Ramadan ruled that out.

“Every meal wasn’t a chore, it was entertainment. I enjoyed it,” she said of developing new soup recipes for 17 nights in a row before she repeated one.

But she will miss seeing her siblings, nieces and nephews in person during Eid, a time when everyone gathered at her house for a huge party.

“I think we’ll postpone the celebrations until everything will be lifted. The other Eid will be on July 31 and if things have changed we’ll do both Eids together,” says Imame.

The other Eid is Eid al-Adha, known as the festival of sacrifice.

The pandemic-style Ramadan had some unexpected benefits for Laraib Uppal, who shares a home with his wife, infant daughter, parents and sister.

He took turns with his wife and sister in cooking the evening meal and also delivered food to other families, but otherwise spent the month at home.

“This year we’re more thankful for the things we have in our home because we can’t get out and grab something,” said the electrical engineer.

“It’s been less materialistic and more personal and interpersonal.”

That’s also been the case for Shakir-Farooqui, who usually purchased new clothes and special food at Eid bazaars held at the mosque during the last week of Ramadan. Instead of venturing out to shop, something she’s avoided to protect compromising the health of her children, she sorted through the family’s wardrobe and found outfits her children could wear on Eid, when many Muslims wear new clothes.

“It’s reflecting on what we have and appreciating what we already have,” she said of the spiritual lessons of Ramadan 2020.

“Eid is about wearing your best clothes, not your new clothes.”

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