THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 4, 1995 TAG: 9503040475
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Local Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer, with particular joy on Friday: For the first time, all five Muslim congregations in Hampton Roads gathered under one roof.
More than 1,100 men, women and children came to the Hampton University Convocation Center for ``Eid Al-Fitar,'' loosely translated as ``happiness'' or ``celebration.''
After a month of daily fasting from daybreak to sunset, their voices rose in unison to express gratitude to Allah, the Muslim word for God, for completion of their religious duty.
``It's priceless,'' said a jubilant Mohammad Abed, president of the Hampton Mosque and Islamic Center. ``The more Muslims get together, the more joy they develop in being together and the stronger the ties will be. We will be able to contribute more to our community and our society.''
Giving to society, especially the needy, is at the heart of Ramadan's spiritual meaning. Before their prayers can be accepted by God, Muslims are required to give ``zakat,'' loosely translated as ``charity,'' which is distributed to people in need.
In the United States, home to an estimated 6 million Muslims, Ramadan's emphasis on society's needs gives it a special resonance at a time when Congress and many state governments are cutting back programs, like welfare, that help the poor.
``With all the suffering and hunger that we feel in fasting, we come closer to understanding the suffering of the disadvantaged in society,'' said Usamah Farrukh, a Hampton University professor and adviser to the Muslim student fellowship. ``We identify with people who don't have enough.''
Ramadan, which occurs at different times because it is based on the lunar calendar, is the month during which the Koran - the holy book of Islam - was revealed to Muhammad, the religion's great prophet.
During the month of Ramadan, the hours between daybreak and sunset are a time of self-denial: Muslims do not eat or drink, and they abstain from sexual relations and other pleasures of the senses, such as listening to music. After the evening prayer, they break the fast with a small meal.
Fasting is considered an act of spiritual cleansing and discipline. Even children are expected to participate, if only for a few hours a day.
``For them to feel even a tiny bit of hunger helps them understand people who are in need and it gives them self-restraint,'' said Ellene Ashanti, whose two oldest children, ages 13 and 11, carried out the complete fast this year for the first time. ``They can't just go over to the refrigerator and grab an apple when they are hungry.''
Instead of going to the school cafeteria, Ashanti's two children went to the library, and they saved their lunch money to buy presents for their two younger sisters.
Muslims are expected to pray five times a day, but they have additional prayers during Ramadan. Each night, they read a chapter of the Koran, which allows them to read the holy book from start to finish during the month.
On Friday, Muslims from all around Hampton Roads spread their blankets on the concrete floor of the Hampton University Convocation Center. Men sat in the front rows, while women and children, many clothed in bright yellows, pinks and turquoise, sat in the back.
They met each other with hugs and the holiday greeting, ``Eid Mubarak,'' an expression of congratulations in the happy season. After praying for over an hour, they celebrated the end of fasting with an array of sweets.
``Today, you are not supposed to fast. It is forbidden!'' said Syed Ismail, president of the Muslim Community of Tidewater. On Friday evening, some of the mosques held small banquets.
For years, Muslim leaders have talked about coming together for a communitywide celebration to conclude Ramadan, but there was never enough momentum to make it happen, Ismail and other leaders said.
The local Muslim community has been steadily growing, with the completion of a new Islamic Center in Norfolk this fall, though there is no solid count of the local Muslim population.
This year, leaders of the five congregations spent $1,000 to rent the university's center, with enough floor space to fit all who wished to worship.
``The teaching of the prophet tells us we should pray together and celebrate together,'' said Abed, of the Hampton Mosque. ``This will grow. This not one person's job. This is everyone in the community's job.'' ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Aboulaziz Zaatut, 5, looks through the barricade separating men and
women during prayers on Friday.
by CNB