This year's Eid al-Fitr arrives with several firsts

Today marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr for many Minnesotans. And this year, there were some notable differences.

For one, the early morning prayers did not take place in an open field or stadium like they have in the past, largely due to the wind and rain. So the celebrations moved indoors. Many gathered in the gymnasium of Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn.

The first Salat al-Fitr, or Eid prayer, began at 7 a.m. and prayers continued every hour through 11 a.m., with hundreds coming for each service. The center offered prayers in Arabic, English, Somali and, for the first time, Pashto.

Abdiwahab Mohamed, assistant commissioner for immigrant and refugee affairs at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, said the addition of Pashto was a special way to welcome the arrival of new Afghan community members.

“This was such a special pride [because of] the language access and welcoming the communities [by] opening up the mosque so that they feel part of the tradition here,” he said.

Indeed, for the community of Dar al-Farooq, where a bombing took place in 2017, Eid brings an opportunity to come together and grow the community.

“The community came back stronger. Now, we’re welcoming the new communities that are joining here,” Mohamed said.

For some of the students in the room, this year is also the first time they won't have to worry about missing school. Minneapolis, Hopkins, Moorhead, and Mankato school districts officially added Eid al-Fitr as a day off to this year's calendar.

“It's great that now we have a day off because I remember one time, we actually had exam day on Eid. They made an exception at my school, thankfully, but it just felt like we weren’t allowed to be a part of it,” said Hafsa Abdi who was at the prayer this morning.

Abdi said she is also happy that Minneapolis became the first U.S. city to allow public broadcasts of all five daily calls to prayer.

“I live with my mom and she’s older [so] sometimes she can’t hear the prayer on her phone,” she said. “So, it's great that she can [now] hear the calls near her house.”

So even with the wind and cold, there were plenty of firsts to mark this year.

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