Muslims during Eid prayers

By Dina Rashed, IOL correspondent

CHICAGO, November 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies)  - The majority of Islamic centers in the U.S. and Canada held their Eid congregational prayer on Tuesday, November 25, marking the beginning of Eid al-Fitr holiday.

And in Chicago, a city vibrant with active Muslim communities, all major Islamic centers also held their congregational prayers on Tuesday morning.

Because the Chicago Muslims do not have their own Mufti like the Muslim community of Washington D.C., each Islamic center makes independent decision on calendar dates marking the beginning and end of Ramadan and Eid, yet the past two years witnessed growing inclination to coordinate this effort.

“The joy of Eid comes in a moment when some of us feel persecuted,” said Muhamed Eissa, Professor of Arabic studies, delivering the after-prayer sermon, “but by the mere fact that we are here and that we can enjoy being together is a sign to be optimistic about.”

Speaking to over 400 Muslims who gathered for prayer ceremonies of Al-Azhar Islamic Foundation (AIF), he stressed the importance of communal ties that bring Muslims together around the world.

“Our power in this country is unity,” Eissa said, adding that Islamic acts of worship like the Friday prayer, the breaking of the fast in Ramadan have always emphasized this unity.

“God rewards us more when we pray in jama’a (groups),” he added.

In many U.S. cities, Eid prayers are marked with rising number of worshipers compared to the regular weekly attendance, and many Islamic centers opt to use banquet halls instead of their facilities to accommodate for this increase.

“Muslims come about in greater numbers when the goals are clearly defined,” said Dr. Omar Khalil, president of AIF, commenting on the influx of families and individuals to the Eid prayer.

There are over 35 community centers and mosques within metropolitan Chicago, many of them serve for educational purposes by holding full-time and weekend Islamic schools, as well as for social purposes.

More frequently, Muslims of certain national heritage gather in greater numbers in some centers than other.

Khalil looks at the increasing number of centers with hope and concern, “It warms the heart to know that there are 32 or 39 Islamic center around here, but it’s a double-edged sword,” he said, adding that the increase in number means that Muslims are becoming more active in coming together as a community, but fears that the effort could be divisive if the centers serve specific ethnic communities and limit communication and cooperation across the Muslim body as a whole.

Al-Azhar Islamic Foundation is one of Chicago’s emerging communities, its members like many other across North America were able to purchase a small house to serve as a startup building for the community, but were asked by the local authorities to make the necessary architectural changes to transfer the house from residential to public-use facility.

The village of Barrington Hills, a suburb of Chicago where the center is located, has granted AIF members the occupancy permit following the remodeling efforts only two days prior to the beginning of Ramadan which enabled them to hold daily Taraweh prayers and weekly community Iftars throughout the month.

“Eid brings us together, that’s the spirit of Islam,” said Eissa.