Peace and joy celebrated by Muslims

The main message of the Eid-Ul-Fitr celebration held Sept 10th at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South Brunswick was, simply, peace and joy.

Nadia Nasism (l), 3-month-old Hayaa Aisha and Naeem Rehman celebrate after an Eid-Ul-Fitr prayer service, which marked the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, on Sept. 10. The Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South Brunswick held a prayer service and celebration to commemorate the end of the month-long fast. JEFF GRANIT staff Eid-Ul-Fitr is the Islamic day of celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long holy fast. The morning’s celebrations were set to begin at 8 a.m., with a prayer service followed by refreshments under a tent outside. By 7:30, however, the masjid — prayer room — was almost filled to capacity. Standing at the front, the Imam Hamad Ahmad Chebli welcomed people over the loudspeakers as they filed in, shoes carried in white plastic bags that were provided at the door.

He explained how the prayer service would work and the proper exiting procedure, so that the participants for the following prayer service, which would begin at 9 a.m., could enter without congestion.

In order to give the Imam time to prepare for the prayers, members of the board of trustees addressed the audience shortly before the service began. Everyone who spoke had a sense of happiness, and relief, in their voice.

“Congratulations to all of us — we made it,” board President Aly Aziz said. “We made it together.”

Making it through the fast involves not partaking of anything, including water, from sunup to sundown for an entire month.

The concerted effort to spiritually heal oneself by abstention is not a singular effort, though, as various members of the community pointed out. Among other efforts, listening to the “beautiful” prayers of the Quran, Aziz said, helped the community as a whole make it through the fast.

Left: Imam Ahmad Chebli says a prayer during the Islamic Society of Central Jersey’s Eid- Ul-Fitr prayer service, which marked the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, on Sept. 10. Above: Women and children gather outside the Islamic Society of Central Jersey. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff “I am one of many who is proud to be part of this community,” Aziz said.

Next, board Chairman Muhammad Ashraf addressed the crowd.

“This is the best day that we have together,” he said. He also spoke briefly, but poignantly, on the events of Sept. 11, the next day.

“Many died that day. I wish that day would never have happened and never happened in Muslims’ lives,” Ashraf said. “It humiliated many Muslims.”

Muhammad then stepped down, and Chebli resumed his position at the front of the crowd.

The Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South Brunswick held an Eid-Ul-Fitr prayer service, which marked the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, on Sept. 10. JEFF GRANIT staff Before the Imam began the prayer service, he took a moment to address the crowd concerning the expansion of the facility. He pointed out various ISCJ members threading through the crowd holding donation boxes. The expansion was not being undertaken to placate themselves or their children or even the community, the Imam said.

“We are building to please Allah,” Chebli said.

Once the service ended, people were ushered outside to the tent where coffee, tea and a light breakfast were served. People shook hands, hugged and in general celebrated their time together, having made it through the fast.

In the background, a video played on a far wall screen, highlighting some of the major achievements of the ISCJ. In its 35 years of existence, the ISCJ has managed to move from holding once-a-week services in empty classrooms at Rutgers University to having its own prayer hall as well as a fulltime school. They are currently in the process of raising donations for expansion of both facilities.

People congregated both inside and outside the tent, enjoying the nice weather. It gave everyone a time to catch up on family and community events.

Babar Saeed, a member of the ISCJ, spoke of the importance of coming together for Eid-Ul-Fitr.

“It is one of the things in these challenging times that we want to come out and celebrate.” Saeed said. “We invite our neighbors. It is an opportunity to put a positive spin on events that are going on.”

Many Muslims, Saeed explained, would go out and engage in open houses during the day, sharing good food and good conversation with friends and neighbors. This emphasized the unity not only of the Islamic community in Middlesex County, but also the connection to the larger community at hand.

“We are part of the community fabric,” Saeed said.

“We are glad that this year the South Brunswick school system gave students this [day] off as a religion holiday,” ISCJ member Amir Khan said, referring to the March decision to give the South Brunswick schools off for two Muslim holidays this year. “We appreciate that.”

The ISCJ is currently at work not only on expanding its own operations, but also collecting donations for Pakistan, where flooding has ravaged the country.

Contact Sam Slaughter at sslaughter@gmnews.com