Moorestown Muslims will host a Ramadan crescent moon sighting at Perkins Center for the Arts on Friday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m.
“This is really just a kickoff to the holiday season for us; the month of Ramadan is our holiest month,” explained Lena Siddiqi, Moorestown Muslims board member. “We would love for all people to come and enjoy it.”
Ramadan – observed from evening on Feb. 28 to March 10 – is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on a 12-month lunar year of approximately 354 days. The month traditionally begins and ends on the sighting of the new moon. In Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an and abstain from food and drink during the sunlit hours as a means of drawing closer to God and cultivating self-control, gratitude and compassion for those less fortunate.
“The biggest thing is having the community together,” Siddiqi said of the sighting, ” (and) seeing Muslims and non-Muslims celebrating our holy month and being more visible in our community.”
The moon sighting is a significant part of Islamic tradition to determine important days. Once it happens, Muslims mark it as the start of Ramadan and their month-long fast. The end of Ramadan is marked by the sighting of the next crescent moon, which signals the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, one of the two big festivals of Muslims. It’s a time of celebration, with eating, charity, gift-giving and socializing with family and friends.
Eid-al Fitr – the “festival of breaking the fast” – is the first time Muslims can eat during daylight hours after fasting during Ramadan.
“I think our whole goal of Moorestown Muslims, when we formed it a few years ago, was to do things like this,” Siddiqi noted. “We realized that we needed to form an organization to make it more community-based and not just so individually focused, just for continuity’s sake and to show that we are more than just one individual.”
Moorestown Muslims is also expected to host a Bring Your Friend to Iftar meal on a date to be announced. For more information on that, check the Moorestown Muslims’ Facebook and Instagram pages.
