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Next Saturday, Aboud's family will break the fast with non-Muslim families from their small Massachusetts town. (Boston Globe photo) |
CAIRO — When Aboud Al-Zaim and his family break the dawn-to-dusk fast next weekend they won't be alone. The table will feature non-Muslim families of their Massachusetts town invited to a yearly communal iftar.
"We made a commitment to stay as active as we can in the community, and particularly to sponsor this Ramadan dinner," Aboud, a construction engineer from the small town of Duxbury, told Boston Globe on Thursday, September 18.
Aboud and his Christian wife Lisa are two of the organizers of the Ramadan Celebration Dinner, a six-year tradition in Duxbury.
The public iftar is sponsored every year by the Muslim Families of Duxbury to share the meaning of the holy month with non-Muslim neighbors and friends.
Members of the town's Interfaith Council also help out.
Like every year, the iftar is free of charge for any one who wishes to attend.
Lisa, married to Aboud for 18 years, and her two daughters will help prepare food and set up the tables in the town's senior center on the day of the iftar.
Food preparation is presided over by Razia Jan, an Afghan native and an effortless community volunteer.
Aboud says that since the first Ramadan dinner, the event has been met with enthusiasm and welcome from the Duxbury non-Muslim community.
Last year, it was attended by about 100 residents of the small town.
"Every year we had just tremendous support from the community and it took on a life of its own."
9/11 Veil
Duxbury Muslims started the public iftar tradition shortly after the 9/11 attacks to help lift a veil of suspicion cast over their faith.
"This is the education part," says Aboud, the father of three who is originally from Syria.
His wife Lisa also believes the public Ramadan dinner helped the town's Muslim community in the aftermath of 9/11.
"It started with us wanting to help others understand what Ramadan means and desensitize them to the stereotypes of what Muslim families are," she said.
"We are a tacos and Subway family, too. We are not some kind of aliens who just landed here."
Muslims in the US, estimated between six to seven million, have become sensitized to the erosion of their civil rights since the 9/11 attacks.
Many Muslims have complained of facing discrimination and stereotypes because of their Islamic attires or identities.
The Duxbury public iftar is part of a larger Muslim drive nationwide.
In two other Massachusetts towns, Quincy and Sharon, the local mosques hold iftars that are open to everyone every evening during Ramadan.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has urged Muslims to hold community iftar dinners welcoming non-Muslim neighbors to learn more about Islam.
For Aboud, the iftar dinner is a success if it can change the wrong perceptions of somebody about Islam.
"If I can change and educate as few as one individual I have done my duty as a Muslim."
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