Thousands of local Muslims gathered at Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) mosques Wednesday morning to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, or the “Holiday of Breaking the Fast.”
“We’re celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which is marking the end of Ramadan, our month of fasting, prayer, and reflection,” said Kashif Aqeel, ICN Board Member. “This Eid is about spending time with family, friends, we exchange gifts. This Eid in particular is about giving money to kids, so it’s called “Eidi.”
Massive turnout around Naperville for Eid
ICN received approximately 8,000 RSPVs for this year’s Eid, requiring several different celebrations around the city. The holiday begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon.
“It starts off with Eid prayer,” said Aqeel. “We’ve had to do six Eid prayers at three of our facilities and we had to get an external facility just to meet the growing demands of our community.”
Eid during the war in Gaza
The morning prayer ceremony was led by Imam Hassan Aly, who said this Eid is different from years past.
“This Eid, we have very mixed feelings because of the situation and the Middle East and Gaza,” said Hassan Aly. “We have a lot of relatives in our community who were killed recently in Gaza and also people who are under siege. We try to be as positive as possible. Pray for them, pray for justice, and peace for everyone.”
Kashif Aqeel is currently the secretary of the NCTV17 Board of Directors.
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