Fairgrounds hosts county’s largest Eid al-Fitr celebration

Amy R. Spurgeon

More than 14,000 Muslims gathered together Saturday to celebrate

the end of Ramadan at the Orange County Fairgrounds -- the largest

gathering in the county and the first time in at least five years that

the celebration has been in Costa Mesa.

In a day of celebration called Eid al-Fitr, they gathered in community

prayer, reflecting on the past month spent fasting between sunrise and

sunset as a sign of self-discipline and self-control.

“We had a very blessed month. We thank God for all his gifts,” said

internationally known Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, director of the Islamic

Society of Orange County -- the largest and oldest group of its kind in

the western United States. Siddiqi, the spiritual leader or “Imam,” lead

the first of two morning services.

Eid has traditionally been celebrated at the Anaheim Convention Center,

which is larger and can accommodate more worshipers. But because the

space could not be reserved in time this year, Muslims had to pray in

shifts at the fairgrounds and at several other smaller venues throughout

the county.

Chain-link fences separated those participating in the massive prayer

from those shopping for bargains at the swap meet.

“They should have picked a different place,” said 23-year old Anaheim

resident Heena Qureshi. “This is too small. People are standing on the

side because there is not enough room for people to sit.”

But despite the cramped quarters, worshipers tried to make the best of

the situation.

“It is a good turnout,” said Haitham Ahmed Bundakji, chairman of the

society’s public relations department.

Men knelt side-by-side on prayer mats in the front of the building while

women did the same in the back. Prayer participants strategically placed

their mats in the direction of the Kiblah, or a holy place in the Middle

East. Shoes were removed during the prayer as a sign of respect.

Qureshi dressed in a traditional gown festively adorned with gold.

Although she did not cover her hair with a scarf, the majority of Islamic

women in attendance did. Women also had their hands and arms adorned with

henna, a reddish-brown dye. They also wore gold bracelets called bangles.

Women prepared for the prayer by bathing in a prescribed manner,

according to Qureshi.

“First they wash their face three times, then they wash from their

forearms to their elbows three times and then they wash from their feet

to their ankles three times,” Qureshi said of the ritual called Wadhu.

Men also wore traditional garb such as the Kurhta, a long sleeved top

that hangs past the knees, and the Shalwar, a loose-fitting pair of

pants.

The building fell silent when Siddiqi began the responsive prayer. The

only sounds other than Siddiqi in the building were the cries of infants.

Many whispered prayers silently with their eyes closed and arms folded.

People spilled out of the building onto the surrounding concrete.

Toward the end of the service, small children got up to talk with one

another while some mothers chronicled the event with camcorders.

The day was considered a succes not only by members of the Islamic

Society, but also by the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Lt. Steve

Fauchier said no unusual calls or activity were reported during the

event, although the department had not anticipated any problems.

“I pray to the almighty that this new millennium will be peaceful for

everyone throughout the world,” said Bundakji, citing the war and

bloodshed that took place throughout the last century.

“I urge Muslims throughout the nation to get involved politically and

socially in this country we have chosen as our new home. A country that

gives us freedom,” he said. “God bless America. God bless America. God

bless America. A land of love, ethics and freedom.”