Here's how some of Arizona's Muslim community spends Christmas

Christmastime brings spiritual reflection for many Arizonans. And on Christmas Day 2017, Valley resident Sumaya Abdul-Quadir found such inner peace in the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Abdul-Quadir is one of the Phoenix-area Muslims who celebrate the Yuletide by seeking fellowship with others of their faith.

Many Muslims use the extended time off they receive at work to do their umrah, or small pilgrimage, to Mecca. Others will do religious conferences or take spiritual retreats.

"(Mecca) was really incredible, very uplifting .. transformative," Abdul-Quadir, 39, told The Arizona Republic about her first trip to the holy city, mentioning the five daily prayers many Muslims make to it. "It was wonderful."

For other Muslims in the Valley, the season provides an opportunity to engage in some secular Christmas traditions.

Farrah Sutriono, 42, said she will take her three children, ages 10-13, to ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo, "even though we don’t celebrate Christmas because it’s beautiful out there." Her kids participate in Secret Santa at school.

During Christmas, as a time for feasting, Sutriono enjoys tamales with friends and contributes a fish platter to her workplace's holiday potluck. While Sutriono was born into Islam, her husband, who is in his 40s, converted to Islam. The family travels to New York to be with his parents, who celebrate Christmas as Catholics.

Zarinah Nadir, aged 43, looks back fondly on the late 2000s when Eid al-Adha, one of the Islamic faith's two major holidays, coincided with Christmas. Celebrations for Eid al-Adha and the other major Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr, vary in dates as they are linked to the lunar-based Gregorian calendar.

But some 15 years ago, she rejoiced at a Muslim holiday taking place around other major late-year festivities like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

"That was fun," Nadir said.

To break the routine during most years, Nadir and numerous Muslim families come together on December 25th at a bowling alley. This annual tradition began approximately 30 years ago when Nadir was a young teenager.

She has been a part of the community event for all these years, describing it as "a family reunion" where attendees move away and return to bowl on Christmas Day.

"The nice thing is we all in the U.S. pretty much have this time off," Nadir said, later adding, "When we generally say the 'holidays' … keep in mind that it's not everybody's holiday."

AMF McRay Plaza Lanes, off West Ray Road near McClintock Drive in Chandler, has been the designated bowling alley for several years now, even catering to Islamic dietary laws by selling kosher hot dogs during the event.

This year, however, the bowling alley will be closed for Christmas. Only COVID-19 in 2020 previously caused its event’s cancellation.

But the bowling alley has filled "a space of others who understand that we don't practice Christmas," Nadir said.

Abdul-Quadir continues to feel inspired, especially after her journey to Mecca during Christmastime six years ago. There, she witnessed fellow Muslims from around the world worshiping before the Kaaba, the sacred Muslim shrine in the Great Mosque at Mecca.

"You feel such a connection with humanity," Abdul-Quadir said.A program director for the nonprofit Arizona Muslim Alliance, Abdul-Quadir did her pilgrimage with a group from the Arizona Cultural Academy, a private Islamic school.

"It bonds you in a way that I don't think any other experience really can," she said.

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @jrgzztx.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's how Phoenix-area Muslims spend Christmas