Eid al-Adha Celebration Planned in Middlesbrough
The event, organized and funded by Middlesbrough Central Masjid, is scheduled on Thursday, June 29 at Albert Park. Last year, around 5,000 people attended the event and this time organizers are hoping to attract even more.
People from all backgrounds are welcome to attend the event, starting with the Eid prayer in the park followed by a fun day with food, activities and lots of stalls to support local entrepreneurs. The mosque aims to bring the local community together through the Eid event and encourage integration between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Gohan Ihsan Mir, chairman of Middlesbrough Central Masjid, said: “It’s an open event for everybody from every community, every background, ethnicity, religion, race. It’s open for everybody so everyone is welcome to come over and have a look and participate.
“We do it because we want it to be more acceptable to the rest of the communities about our religion and Muslims as well as a whole. We’re more than happy that everyone does come.
“We’re not just doing it as a Muslim event. It brings people together and we want to open the doors to the mosque and our religion so people can see it for what it really is, rather than sometimes what it’s interpreted as so it’s good for people to come and actually meet people from the community, meet Muslims and people following Islam.”
There will be a range of stalls from henna artists and toys to face glitter and different food, including biryani, a traditional South Asian rice dish, and doughnuts and sweets. There will also be inflatables, a kids’ entertainer and the emergency services will be in attendance.
Naveed Ihsan, the event organizer, said the primary purpose is to provide an outdoor Eid experience for people who live in Middlesbrough and nearby. They have found that even on a Friday the mosque isn’t big enough to accommodate all the people wanting to come for the Friday prayer, so it made sense to move the Eid prayer out of the mosque and into an open area to get as many people as possible being able to take part.
He added: “The primary purpose is just to provide that space for people and that communal feel to a very special day. It’s an opportunity for local entrepreneurs and small businesses to showcase their products and maybe kick start their business to the next level.
“We’re going to have the emergency services there to allow them to liaise with the local community. Ethnic minorities are not really represented in the emergency services as much as they should so we’re providing an opportunity for them to liaise with the community and see if they can break down any barriers.”
The day will run from 11.15am, when the prayer in the park will start, and end at 3pm. More details and information can be found on Middlesbrough Central Masjid’s Facebook page.
Source: gazettelive.co.uk
