From fast to feast: Worcester-area Muslims celebrate Eid as Ramadan ends

Veer Mudambi, Telegram & Gazette
·3 min read
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Three-year-old Zahidulla, front, and Favhadulla, 9, both of whom recently emigrated with their families to Worcester from Afghanistan, watch as fellow Muslims enter for a special prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.
Three-year-old Zahidulla, front, and Favhadulla, 9, both of whom recently emigrated with their families to Worcester from Afghanistan, watch as fellow Muslims enter for a special prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.

WORCESTER - Breakfast. A ubiquitous word that is actually two words: break and fast - breaking a fast or eating after a period of no food. We use it every day but usually with little to no thought of its origin.

About 300 people gathered at the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester for a most special breakfast - where the word was used for its literal meaning.

Friday was Eid al-Fitr, commonly known as Eid, means "the festival of breaking the fast," marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, when adult Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn till sunset. It is ninth month of the Muslim calendar and when it is believed that the Qu'ran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. It is considered a time for self-reflection and prayer.

"It was a time to focus," said Sadaqat Khan, 16, standing in a buffet-style line with his friends, "kind of hard but I also grew as a person."

Muslims break thier fast during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.
Muslims break thier fast during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.

Worcester's Muslim community gathered at the city's two mosques, the ISGW and the Worcester Islamic Center, to celebrate with friends and family and, of course, food.

"I definitely feel refreshed," said Karrar Etmayesh, 16, who was attending Eid celebration at the ISGW with Sadaqat, "but it's nice to eat breakfast again."

The ISGW at 57 Laurel St. was the first Islamic center established in Worcester back in the late 70s, started by two Worcester Polytechnic Institute students from Kuwait in the basement of the building.

Hosha Sadat of Worcester holds up his 6-month-old daughter, Shakrullah, during a special prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.
Hosha Sadat of Worcester holds up his 6-month-old daughter, Shakrullah, during a special prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.

From small beginnings of 15 to 20 people, the Muslim community has grown in the intervening years to over 10,000 in Greater Worcester, said ISGW board member Ihab Dabbagh of Shrewsbury. The Worcester Islamic Center on 248 East Mountain St. was established in 2003. "On Friday ceremonies we get between 200 to 300 people," he said, "we can barely fit everyone at events like (Eid). The other location will have 2,000 to 3,000 easily."

Dabbagh has been in the Worcester area for almost 28 years, and has witnessed much of this growth himself, saying that Worcester's diversity and affordability is a big draw for immigrant families. "Worcester is beautiful because it is mixed of all different people," he said, "there is tolerance and understanding. People are nice."

Young Muslims line up for ice cream during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.
Young Muslims line up for ice cream during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.

The city's cultural and ethnic diversity makes it a good match for the multicultural nature of the Muslim community. "Name a country and here you’ll find somebody here," said Dr. Ashraf Elkerm, former member of the ISGW board. "Any gathering at a mosque is like the United Nations," he said, "with faces from all over the world."

Dabbagh sees not only growth but also evolution in the future of the local Muslim community - and he's excited. "Our generation," he said, gesturing to himself and Elkerm, "is stepping back. The new generation is coming."

A group of boys run a lemonade and candy stand to raise money for the mosque during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.
A group of boys run a lemonade and candy stand to raise money for the mosque during the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the Worcester Islamic Center on Friday.

"I think they will blend much better than our generation," he said. "I’m an immigrant and still carry the baggage our background - they don’t, this is their society, they are American, the only difference is their religion."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: From fast to feast: Worcester-area Muslims celebrate Eid as Ramadan ends