Long month of fasting comes to a close for area Muslims

CEDAR RAPIDS - Hundreds of people gathered at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids on Sunday to mark the end of a month of fasting.

Eid al-Fitr is celebrated at the close of Ramadan, a 30-day period in which Muslims abstain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset. Timothy Hyatt, public relations committee co-chair for the Islamic Center, said the holiday is meant to bring people together to celebrate their blessings after a month in which they think of those less fortunate while reinforcing their own faith.

“There is a sense of elation and accomplishment,” Hyatt said of Eid. “However, it doesn't just end there. It's a reminder for us that we incorporate all our religious and traditional values beyond the month of Ramadan.”

More than 500 people were present for the celebration, which featured prayer sessions followed by a breakfast in the morning, children's activities throughout the afternoon and a catered community celebration dinner in the evening.

Participants said the fasting was particularly difficult this year because Ramadan fell during July and August, which made for more daylight hours during one of the hottest summers on record. Because Islam uses a lunar calendar, the observance takes place at a different time every year.

“This year it was 17 hours of fasting compared to in the wintertime, when it's maybe 10 hours of fasting,” said Arsalan Monawar, a 24-year-old Cedar Rapids resident who also represents the local Pakistani restaurant Habiba. “This is probably the longest.”

Monawar said his family was fasting while catering the Breakfast on the Bridge event during RAGBRAI last month, and the temperatures were grueling.

“They were up all night and then they fasted, and then they catered for the morning and went back to work at the restaurant, so it was a long, long day, and it was hot that day,” Monawar said. “So it was nice to see everyone understand that, and understand the challenges of that. But it was an awesome experience.”

One participant described Eid as a chance for community members to bond.

“The holiday is great because everybody comes together and it's kind of like one big family,” said 20-year-old Ajay Shama. “All the cultures from Africa, Indonesia, and all the countries from the Middle East come together.”