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Aysha Carter, 2, peeks through the dresses of her mother, Ilham Carter (center), and Najia Kurth (right) during Eid a-Fitr at the Fredericksburg Field House.
Sura Abbas, 13, applied henna to her hands to celebrate Eid a-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
About 700 area Muslims gathered at the Fredericksburg Field House yesterday morning to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with prayer to mark the end of Ramadan. |
About 8 a.m yesterday, a crowd started gathering at the Fredericksburg Field House.
Brightly colored dresses radiated in the sunlight. Jewelry sparkled and jingled.
A throng of worshipers came to the athletic center off Tidewater Trail for Eid al-Fitr. The holy day draws hundreds of Muslims locally, more than can fit in the area's mosque in Spotsylvania County.
At the same time on the morning news shows, hosts discussed the Muslim faith, the controversies over the proposed Manhattan mosque and a Florida preacher's indecision over burning hundreds of copies of the Quran. Pundits theorized about growing anti-Islamic sentiment.
But after embracing friends and family, about 700 area Muslims laid down their prayer mats on the soft artificial grass and recited the prayers set aside for Eid al-Fitr, the celebratory end of Ramadan.
Children giggled. Cameras flashed. Adults exclaimed, "Eid Mubarak!" The festivities are similar to Easter for Christians--celebratory and jovial.
But the gathered worshipers didn't forget that their faith was plastered all over the newspapers, Internet blogs and cable news shows.
Imam Sami Shamma told the group their devotions should be louder than "the noises of unreason."
He spoke to the crowd about Pastor Terry Jones, who planned to burn copies of the Quran at his Florida church.
Shamma had just delivered a brief sermon, saying Ramadan was a time to practice patience and biting your tongue. And he exhorted the Muslims to keep those habits beyond Ramadan.
He continued the theme while talking about Jones and said, "We respond to them with the manners of the Muslim. We do not respond in kind. We do not go out and retaliate and do the things our Muslim faith would not allow us to do."
Shamma also spoke of the mosque proposed two blocks from Ground Zero. Nationally, the Islamic center has brought a firestorm of controversy, and polls say the majority of Americans opposes the location of the mosque.
Shamma did not take a side in the debate, but said, "We take exception to the idea that our presence by itself defaces the area and is insensitive."
Members of the Islamic Center of Fredericksburg said Shamma's timely words were a perfect complement to Eid.
"He should talk about these things," said Mohammad Karimi. "These are in the news worldwide."
Overall, the worshipers said they put the possible Florida Quran burning in perspective.
"I am sure among Christians, he is just one person," Karimi said. "That issue is very small, we should not give him attention."
The international debate worries many area Muslims.
Shamma said, "It's extremely hard for members of our congregation, who turn on the TV and hear horrible accusations about their faith. We haven't seen this level of animosity, even after 9/11."
He added, "I have received nothing but absolutely wonderful feedback from this community."
Muslims said that generally, they don't experience much hostility in the Fredericksburg area.
Sometimes, friends will say things like, "We should get rid of all Muslims," or "They should never be allowed to build a mosque at Ground Zero."
But there have also been examples of people reaching out to the Muslim community. Many said they take heart in an interfaith prayer event planned for this morning. And several Christians stopped by the mosque for fast-breaking meals called iftars and prayers during the 30 days of Ramadan.
Still, many worry that there is a renewed sense of Islamophobia, which brings up memories of the period after Sept. 11, 2001.
"It's coming back, and it worries me," said Aicha De Jesus of Spotsylvania. "I am worried for my kids, I don't want them to see hostility among faiths."
At home, her teenage children see two faiths getting along: Her husband is Catholic. "But when they open the door, they don't see that," De Jesus said.
She and other Muslims hope that more people will learn about the Islamic faith and that people of different religions will focus on their similarities not their differences.
"Basically, if we all believe in one God, it must be the same God," said Samina Mian, whose husband owns a local Popeyes restaurant. "Mine is not better than yours. Mine is not greater than yours. Because they are the same."
Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com
The Islamic Center of Fredericksburg welcomed a new imam just before Ramadan. Sami Shamma came to the Spotsylvania mosque from Northern Virginia. Originally from Palestine, Shamma grew up in Kuwait. In the 1970s, he came to America to study applied mathematics. He worked in the information technology field for decades, and last year started seminary to become an imam.
Shamma now studies at Hartford Seminary, the first accredited American college to offer a graduate program in Imam Education.
Shamma has a wife, Turfa,
