Devout Congregate to Celebrate Faith as Ramadan Ends

Thousands of Muslim men and women in traditional finery gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center on Tuesday after sharing prayers, food and hugs for Eid-ul-Fitr, a joyous celebration marking the end of Ramadan.

Islam’s holiest month requires the devout to fast from sunup to sundown, pray five times a day, study the Koran and contemplate good deeds for the future.

After the monthlong reign of restraint and piety, some Muslims consider the fraternizing and gift-giving of Eid ul-Fitr to be a welcome respite.

“If you’ve done everything correctly, you’re kind of glad it’s over,” said Ahmed Yosafi of Aliso Viejo.

Others mourned the month’s end.

A proponent of the annual asceticism, Shahab Malik of Irvine said the hunger of the fast was an unrelenting, helpful reminder of his duty to God.

“You feel more in touch with God and more in touch with yourself,” said Malik, a computer science student at USC. He carried gifts from friends, including an embroidered prayer rug and an engraved plaque. “Now, we celebrate our accomplishments of the month.”

The Anaheim gathering was the biggest celebration of its kind in Orange County, drawing about 9,000 people, convention officials said. Hundreds of other Muslims went to the Islamic Center of Mission Viejo, the Sequoia Center of Buena Park and Masjid-ul-Ansar, a mosque in Anaheim.

“Ramadan is to charge up your spiritual battery in the hope it will stay alive for another year,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “It’s to train your body and your soul to make the worship of God a day-to-day activity.”

Many of Tuesday’s celebrants dressed in their best clothes.

Malik’s friend Minzah Saleh--bedecked in a beaded turquoise sari from Neema Sari Palace in Artesia--was eager to get to a family picnic and tugged on his blue blazer in reproach.

Malik wore a suit because he couldn’t rustle up a traditional outfit in time.

“On Eid, you try to wear your newest or your best clothing,” he said, pointing to a cluster of women wearing elaborate orange, blue and purple wraps. “The women all look so good.”

Many took Tuesday off from work or school for the communal prayer and feasting.

Mumtaz Saleh, a Montessori teacher from Huntington Beach, said, “The first thing I told my employers is that I must have today off,” he said. “But I can’t give them a specific date for the Eid, so they tease me.”

Because Islamic holidays are based on a lunar calendar, the date changes from year to year.

The celebrants at the Convention Center streamed out carrying gifts and dispersing to reassemble at smaller dinners. “Eid mubarak!”--which means blessed Eid--they called to each other, hugging and trading compliments on their exquisite outfits.

Among men donning traditional clothing was Muddasir Mirza of Irvine, who wore a brown robe and pants called shalwar kameez and colorful open-toed sandals called khairee.

“If you stay busy with school and work, fasting is easy,” said Mirza, who owns several traditional outfits. “You have to be strong in your faith.”

At the moment, though, his hunger was a distraction.

After a month of meals eaten in the darkness of early morning and late evening, Mirza rushed off to chow down strawberry pancakes at the nearest International House of Pancakes.

“It’s the first time I’ve had breakfast in a month,” he said. “It feels great.”