Giving Thanks : Local Muslims Mark End of Ramadan With Prayer Service in Park

More than 5,000 Muslim men, women and children gathered under cool, cloudy skies early Thursday morning at Mile Square Regional Park to pray, remember God and give thanks.

The men, some wearing caps to cover their heads and kurtas (knee-length, collarless shirts), some in suits or jeans, sat on the ground in rows on prayer rugs. Behind them on their own prayer rugs sat the women, clad in ornate head scarves--a sign of respect and humbleness before God--and flowing, traditional dresses.

Then, murmuring in unison, all bowed down on their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground.

They seemed to be a mini-United Nations of sorts: Muslims who had emigrated from Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Iran and elsewhere, most were dressed in the colorful garb of their native lands. But they had gathered at 7:30 a.m. for a holy purpose: to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“It’s a celebration,” said Farhat Chaudhry-Bari, 27, of Huntington Beach.

“It has the same joy for us as for you in celebrating Christmas,” she explained, holding her 2-year-old son, Zain Mateen, in her arms.

The boy was dressed in a teal blue sherwani, a traditional Pakistani coat and trouser outfit for males. Chaudhry-Bari wore a teal blue and gold shalwar kameez, a pants outfit, accented with gold jewelry.

“It’s just a joyful feeling that we were able to do a month of fasting and take a second look at yourself,” said India-born Sophia Ali, 25, of Laguna Niguel as she cradled her 15-month-old son, Amaan.

For Ali’s husband, Mir, 29, the Islamic month of Ramadan “just signifies a month where I could fast and, in general, remember God and religion more frequently--and to remind (me) what’s important in life and religion.”

Ramadan, which began Feb. 23, ends the day after the sighting of a crescent moon, which signifies the beginning of the next month in the lunar calendar. In some Southland communities, Muslims celebrated Eid ul-Fitr on Wednesday because a crescent moon had been sighted the day before in some Muslim countries around the world.

But Muzammil Siddiqi, religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove, said there was no reported sighting in North America, so it was decided that Eid ul-Fitr would be celebrated Thursday, completing 30 days of Ramadan.

For the estimated 25,000 Muslims living in Orange County, the Islamic month of Ramadan is a sacred time when “Muslims shall devote themselves to God and live in a righteous manner,” said Siddiqi.

“We’re thankful to God,” said Siddiqi, who led the service at the park.

He told those assembled for the prayer service that it was important in the aftermath of incidents such as the World Trade Center bombing in New York to get the message out that “Islam is a religion of peace, justice and goodness.”

Ramadan is the month in which the prophet Muhammad began receiving the revelation of the Koran, the holy scripture of Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims may not eat, drink or smoke from dawn to sunset daily, in order to achieve a higher degree of self-discipline, piety and inner peace.

Al Rajput, 48, of San Clemente said that for him, fasting is atonement for his wrongdoings.

“It is a personal satisfaction. . . . I hope that God accepts my good deeds . . . during the month--and lowers the weight of my other bad doings,” he said.

Sumair Mahmood, 18, of Irvine said that during Ramadan, “the God Almighty doubles, triples, quadruples our blessings.”

And Eid ul-Fitr is a celebration “for all the people who have accomplished the fast and changed their lives,” Mahmood added.

In her pastel floral dress and white head scarf, Shadia Aboabdo, 9, of Fountain Valley said that fasting is a time of compassion for those who are hungry.

“You can feel like what the poor people feel who go without eating,” she said.

Wearing bright red pants and a long shirt, Hijab Zubairi, 10, of Garden Grove said that fasting “makes you feel better, because in our religion, you’re doing something good.”

For these Muslims, Thursday also marked the spirit of giving, of sharing. And eating. When the prayers were done, some filtered toward park picnic areas, others to their houses to share in sumptuous meals featuring special dishes from their homelands.

“The rest of the day is feasting time--to eat, eat and eat,” Sophia Ali said before departing. “It’s like a whole day of partying.”