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-~ COMMUNITY -~ Eid Mubarak! Halton Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan Eid al-Fitr marks the end-of the holy month of fasting, and centres around family visits and celebration . » SAIRA PEESKER salrapeesker@metroland.com With the end. of Ramadan, Muslims across Halton and be- yond finished their month of fast- ing with a day of celebration fea- turing food, family and prayer. This year, Ramadan began in mid-May and ended at dark Thursday when the crescent moon that signals the end of the lunar month was visible in the sky. The ensuing day, Eid al-Fitr, is marked by widespread celebra- tion. Some religious organiza- tions, such as Ahmadiyya Mus- lim Jama'at Canada and the Figh Council of North America, an- nounced June 14 that the follow- ing day would be Eid for their communities. During the holy month, Mus- lims typically abstain from food and drink during daylight hours, give more to charity, refrain from bad behaviour and offer addition- al prayers. With Ramadan this year falling on the season with the most daylight, adherents were subject to extra-long fasts and very little sleep, as most wake up before sunrise for a meal. "It's not really the food you miss, it's the habits," said Milton Ward 8 Coun. Zeeshan Hamid, who hosted a community Iftar dinner on June 7. More than 100 people from di- verse backgrounds attended the event at Paramount Fine Foods, which was co-hosted by the Mus- lim Association of Milton and the Islamic Community Centre of Milton. That day, Hamid was joined in fasting by several non- Muslim colleagues from Milton town council. "Missing coffee is really difficult, and was hard for (Ward 6 councillor) Mike Cluett ... We don't realize how much of our time we fill with food." Ward 3 Coun. Cindy Lunau went well past sunset before hav- ing a meal because she was at- tending her granddaughter's dance performance at the time of breaking the fast. She says it was all worth it, both ta know she could do it and to get a better un- derstanding of Muslim practices. "There's a way of truly appre- ciating cultures by immersing yourself into that culture, and as "much as I can, I want to do that," she said, 'noting she has been reading parts of the Qur'an with students in the United Church Sunday school class she teaches. "Fear is a terrible, terrible weapon and if you can dispel some of that fear, I think it helps." Burlington resident Kayleigh Lowe also tried fasting to get a better understanding of the ar- ea's Muslim community. She par- ticipated in the Fast with a Mus- lim Friend campaign organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Ja- ma'at in Milton, which saw her get up early on May 30 to eat breakfast with a host family, ex- perience prayers at their mosque, then rejoin the community in the evening to break fast and eat din- ner. She said it left her with new friends and a sense of the chal- lenges posed by the Ramadan schedule."Going into it, I thought it was just food. I didn't know I'd be abstaining from water and drink," said Lowe, a 22-year-old social services student at Sheri- dan College. "I was a little bit freaked out, but ... 1 gg#*a little 2018 Cadillac Escalade alale cal ok 0D, WET ol Fel it al i Ig / ' y+ | [= "ge ~~. Lo LS J LIE cLs(c la aul BELEN ER Graham Paine/Metroland Men of Milton's Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at take part in a prayer at sunset prior to enjoying dinner on June 4, 2018. thirsty but it wasn't crazy.Iam al- sonot a napper and I found myself needing a nap. A solid two-hour nap." Lowe ended up fasting for a second day as well, saying that time, she "chugged water" before beginning. Her main challenge that day was her job at M&M Food Market, where they were offering samples to customers. "I gained a little bit of empa- thy," she said. "It was a great ex- perience." Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Milton held a community Iftar on June 4. It will now take most Muslims a while to readjust to their nor- mal schedules, said Abdul-Ahad Ruhomaun, secretary general of Oakville's Masjid Noor-Ul- Haram, part of World Islamic Mission Canada. The point is to remember what they learned while they fasted, he said, a senti- ment echoed by Noor-Ul-Haram president Noorhassen Kausim. "On behalf of the entire team of. Masjid Noor-Ul-Haram, I would like to wish all brothers and sisters Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid)," he said in a statement. "On this day, let us reflect to what we have experienced and learned though the month of Ramadan and inculcate those good lessons in our daily lives. "Despite its challenges, Rama- dan is a period df*Mlegpings and community togetherness, said Ruhomaun, describing a bitter sweet feeling as it drew to a close "The jay when you see the moon is exciting," Ruhomaun ex plained June 12. "It's a mixed sen timent because for 30 days you've been together, done a routine, and been blessed so much. You ¢ feel a pinch in your heart because the month of blessings is going away. On the other-hand, you feel happy because Eid is a gift from God." Masjid Noor-Ul-Haram will host five sittings of morning prayers on Eid, and will also rent out - Mississauga's Living Arts Centre, which seats 1,500. People often dress up and spend the day visiting family, said Ruhomaun, adding children are given gifts of money called '"eidi." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and Oakville MP John Oliver joined about 200 people at a com- funity Iftar at Noor-Ul-Haram on June 10. Both issued state- ments wishing area Muslims a joyous Eid. "I was touched to hear from members of this mosque that un- dertook a time of special seclu- sion to reflect on and pray for the betterment of our community and our country," wrote Oliver. wd - vordweyd uepeue uo Aepsunyy sunp - C 8102 '| "Breaking the fast with some of our Muslim community in Oak- ville to celebrate the end of Rama- ~ + dan was a wonderful experienge." Milton councillor Hamid says the challenge now, with Ramadan behind us, is to maintain that dis- cipline for the rest of the year -- but it's not easy." "The main goal is learning to give up all the things-we shouldn't be involved in," he said June 12. "When you deprive yourself of food and water you are acutely aware (of how little you actually need). It works for the month, but unfortunately, it's easy togo back to your old habits." L02°uo}|eyapisu!