Thousands of Muslims across Michigan celebrated Friday, March 20, the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan, a month of spiritual reflection and fasting marred by wars abroad this year that affected many in metro Detroit.
Ramadan and Eid is a time of joy for Muslims, but this year, the holiday mood was dampened, local clerics said.
Worshippers packed inside mosques for morning Eid prayers, with long lines of vehicles waiting in line to enter jammed parking lots staffed by security and local police officers helping direct traffic at some mosques. At the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, the first-ever Eid prayers were held inside their new building, still under construction on Beech Daly Road, with five golden-plated domes on top greeting visitors. Three Eid prayers were held before noon to accommodate the overflow crowds at the Dearborn Heights mosque that spilled over into the foyer outside the main prayer hall.
The holy month of Ramadan is a time when “you recharge yourself spiritually” and read the Quran, Sayed Ahmed Qazwini preached to worshippers during the second round of Eid prayers at the Islamic Institute of America. “Try to continue the momentum. … Don’t stop. … Let’s not let it end today.”
After prayers, some families celebrated further with coffee in an adjoining hall and activities for children, some holding toy balloons. As they exited, worshippers slipped cash into a donations box labeled “fitra,” which refers to an Islamic practice of helping the needy at the end of Ramadan.
Wars abroad affect Ramadan month
The week after Ramadan started on Feb. 17, the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, starting a war that has caused turmoil and pain in parts of Muslim communities in Michigan, especially those in the Shia population. Over the past month, several mosques and centers in Wayne County have held memorials for family members and others killed in Iran and Lebanon and held fundraisers to help those displaced. The war in Iran sparked renewed conflict between Lebanon and Israel, leading to more than 1,000 people being killed in Lebanon and about 1 million displaced.
During the Eid prayers, some clerics discussed the conflict, saying Muslims should try to remember the plight of other Muslims around the world and pray for them.
“There is a vicious war … people are being bombed, killed in the Middle East and Iran,” Qazwini told worshippers. “Thousands of people have died, they have been injured, they’ve lost their homes. … This regime wages an illegal, aggressive war against the people of Iran and likewise in Lebanon.”
Qazwini, a son of the mosque’s leader, Imam Hassan Qazwini, criticized the administration of President Donald Trump, saying Trump has contradicted his campaign message of peace.
“How ironic is it that this president, who campaigned for 10 years on ending war, he started a never-ending war,” Qazwini said.
“Unfortunately, we have mixed feelings on this day of Eid,” Qazwini said. “It should be a day of pure joy, but the Zionists did not allow us to enjoy our month of Allah. … Because every time you look at the news, you see it’s just more and more destruction with no end in sight.”
Qazwini beseeched God to protect the people of Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, and other Muslims.
“We ask Allah, grant them resilience so they can bear all of the difficulties that they are going through,” he said. “We ask to bring your victory upon the people. … We ask Allah to defeat the aggressors and to help the believers wherever they may be.”
Mosque expansions during Ramadan
This Ramadan saw the opening or expansions of mosques in metro Detroit, illustrating the growth of the Muslim population. In addition to the Islamic Institute of America, which currently is based on Ford Road, holding its first Eid prayer at their new location, the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, a Dearborn mosque, held on Feb. 27 its first Friday prayers at a new prayer hall on Schaefer Road. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud attended that opening and on Friday, Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun attended the first Eid prayers at the Dearborn Heights mosque.
A new mosque, Masjid Al-Fath, opened in Lincoln Park during Ramadan, drawing hundreds of worshippers inside a building that was once a Catholic church. The mosque’s imam, Belal Alzuhiry, become known in 2024 when he endorsed Trump, appearing on stage with him at a Novi rally, calling him a man of peace.
In Southfield, a $5.3 million mosque opened a few weeks before Ramadan started, the United Michigan Muslim Association, which is led by Sheikh Mohamed Almasmari, formerly the imam at the Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist attended Eid services at the Southfield mosque, posting photos on Facebook of his visit. Sec. of State Jocelyn Benson attended Eid services in Dearborn at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, posting photos of her wearing a headscarf and meeting with its religious leader, Imam Baqir Berry.
Imam Arif Huskic, an interfaith activist in Michigan who leads Common Word Alliance, attended Eid prayers Friday at the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit, a mosque in Rochester Hills.
“We pray that Allah Almighty accepts our prayers, our fasting, charity,” Huskic told the Free Press, offering his thoughts on Eid. “May He bless America with prosperity, grant wisdom and guidance to our legislators, and provide protection and wisdom to our president. … May Allah bless everyone with good health, prosperity, peace, mutual understanding and unity across the world.”
Huskic is planning an interfaith Eid celebration at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, open to the public at the Lasky Recreation Center in Detroit at 13200 Fenelon St.
“This gathering reflects the true spirit of Eid, bringing people of all backgrounds together to celebrate Eid and our beautiful diversity,” Huskic said of his upcoming event.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eid celebrated by thousands in Michigan as war abroad dampens mood
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
