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Muslims from throughout Greater Portland gathered at the Portland Expo on Friday to celebrate Eid al Fitr, one of the holiest festivals in Islam, marking the end of the monthlong Ramadan fast.

People from countries around the world, and a handful of native Mainers who have adopted Islam, arrived throughout the morning, greeting each other with handshakes and hugs and salutations of "Eid Mubarak" -- "blessed Eid."

They arranged themselves on the Expo's hardwood floor in long rows, men on one side of the large hall and women on the other, many wearing their best clothes.

Meanwhile, men took turns at the front of the room chanting verses expressing their devotion. They also urged those gathered to dig deep in their wallets for "zakat" -- charity -- to help people who are less fortunate, a central tenet of Eid al Fitr.

Ahmed, a science teacher at Deering High School who lives in Westbrook, came dressed in a business suit and a paisley tie. He is working on his doctorate at the University of Maine. He and his wife, a nurse, have four children.

He said that as an American Muslim, he has a sense of belonging that eclipses the hostility of the Rev. Terry Jones, the pastor in Florida who threatened to burn copies of the Quran, Islam's holy book, to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The support of national leaders and assurance from the community have been important, Ahmed said, but there is still work to be done to reach a mutual understanding and acceptance.

Children not old enough to appreciate the significance of the event scampered through the building while toddlers cried for attention. The religious observance is oriented toward adults, said Keyf Ahmed, who brought along his son and daughter. The time for children comes afterward.

Friday's events included a soccer game for youths at Fitzpatrick Stadium just after lunch.

Eid al Fitr is an occasion to forgive grievances with others and to ask forgiveness from God, said Abdullahi Ahmed. It draws people from all walks of life. On Friday, men in elaborate ethnic dress knelt alongside teenagers wearing polo shirts and jeans.

One man held out a crumpled dollar bill for the collection, while another fanned out two $20 bills and a $10 bill before dropping them into the cardboard box labeled "Charity."

Eid al Fitr is a time to thank God for all his blessings, said Ayesha Baye, who is from Ethiopia. "We're thanking Allah -- God -- for giving us health, shelter and meeting all the needs we have," she said.

Baye and her daughter Hayat stayed up late Thursday night dyeing intricate designs on their hands with henna for the occasion, and she readied the house for guests who would come for lunch.

Friday's event was organized by the Islamic Society of Portland, a group that is heavily influenced by the city's large Somali population. But the gathering was immensely diverse. An older gentleman from Burundi, wearing a splendid brown suit and a yellow kufi cap, warmly greeted a young Somali man wearing an immaculate white kameese, or tunic.

Rahmatullah Habibzai spent four years fighting to drive the Soviet Union out of his native Afghanistan before coming to America, where he now works for a trucking company.

"We're all Muslim. It doesn't matter which country you're from, we perform the prayer of Eid," he said.

When he arrived here 23 years ago, Habibzai said, families would gather in small groups to celebrate Eid al Fitr because there were so few Muslims in Maine. Now, there are enough to enjoy a large celebration together.

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When Muslims are in the news, it's usually in a negative context - using the famous "If it bleeds, it leads" mantra. Even here on the WI forums there are many threads about terrorism this, terrorism that, etc.

But there is a much, much larger part of Islam that doesn't get the attention it deserves. I'm talking about Muslims doing good in their communities and making the world a better place.

Here are a few examples:

Project Downtown - Chicago:

Project Downtown has consistently been operating over a 2 year period providing food, clothing, daily items, groceries and smiles all while preserving the dignity of the communities we aid. After continuous warm invitations to stay in these neighborhoods by the residents, the members of the community have become the essence Project Downtown. This movement has been a success largely due to the dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and solely due to the blessings of God, Most High and Exalted... Project Downtown plans to expand it's services from being a charity organization to a movement providing Social Services to the communities we serve just as Muslim's have done throughout history.

This is a popular program with Muslim college students. Many of my friends participate. The area they serve is a pretty dangerous one in Chicago, but they are there on Sundays handing out food, clothes and other items. No strings attached.

Los Angeles Community Health Clinic UMMA

We are the regular family doctors to over 15,000 adults and children. For them, the UMMA Community Clinic is the only source of healthcare and without us, many diseases would go undiagnosed or untreated. The clinic places an emphasis on regular visits, which incorporate screenings, immunizations and patient education as well as life-style modification. When a disease/illness is diagnosed, we provide regular treatment with appropriate medications and lab testing. If a patient requires more advanced tests or specialty care, we provide automatic referral to county facilities.

And:

The clinic also places a great emphasis on actively directing patients towards appropriate social and legal services when a need is identified. Beyond medical care, the clinic sponsors such things as health fairs, food and clothing distributions, public health seminars, and in the future, tutoring for area children.

Cincinnati Muslims Provide School Supplies for Children & Feeds hungry during Ramadan

in conjunction with the Islamic Association of Cincinnati Clifton Mosque, today launched a ”School Supplies for Students” project that will provide supplies for all the students at a local elementary school. The project is being funded by a donation from the Cincinnati Muslim community.
The two organizations will distribute the school supplies at 11 a.m. on August 19 to some 440 students attending Hays-Porter Elementary School in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine neighborhood. All the students at this elementary school participate in the free lunch program.

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in conjunction with several other Cincinnati area Muslim organizations, will hold the 8th Annual Feed the Hungry event.

CAIR-Cincinnati, Islamic Association of Cincinnati, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, Ihsan Center, Muslim Clinic of Ohio and Muslim Student Association are combining effort to provide a hot meal, free health checks, non-perishable food items and clothing to people in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati.

"Volunteers from across the Tri-State have served a hot meal to more than 400 people at this event each year since 2003,” said CAIR-Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub “The Cincinnati Muslim community feeds people in this neighborhood every day during Ramadan and every Friday and Sunday during the year.”

No link is available as I received this as an email alert.

I know that my Masjid provides community service on a regular basis through volunteerism, donations and outreach.

I'm not even scratching the surface of all that Muslims do every day to help make the world a better place. Unfortunately, stories putting Muslims in a positive light don't usually make the news.

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And late breaking news ( which I'm SURE you'll say has nothing to do with anything either... there's a bomb scare at the Eiffel Tower.

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You simply refuse to acknowledge, because you literally can't handle the truth.

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I've never wanted to lump all of anyone into one group

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Show where I've willfully attempted to repeat or convey a falsehood as being true.

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