Local Muslims celebrate end to month-long fasting

The prayer house of the Macau Mosque

Hundreds of people attended an Eid al-Fitr event held at a site on Ramal dos Mouros yesterday to celebrate the end of a month-long fasting festival, Ramadan. Literally translating as the “festival of breaking of the fast,” Eid al-Fitr is an important holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world.
“Eid marks the end of the month of fasting [Ramadan], and is an occasion for us to spend time with our family and friends, and to thank God for all we have received,” explained Adnan Nasim, a member of the Muslim community in Macau, present yesterday.
“The idea during Ramadan is that you skip the middle meal and don’t eat for the entire day [during daylight hours]. And in this way you develop sympathy for those who are less fortunate than us. It creates an atmosphere of caring for each other,” he said.
The area has a small prayer house that, according to Nasim, can only accommodate about 50 people at a time. On busy days such as Eid al-Fitr, members of the Islamic community must pray in shifts in order to give everyone an opportunity.
However that is expected to change in the near future, after approval was granted earlier this year for the construction of a larger mosque on the site. According to Nasim, the new prayer house will be able to accommodate hundreds of people at any one time.
“We really need the mosque,” he said. “After experiencing today – the chaos and disappointment for some people of not having a place to pray – the new mosque will mark a new beginning for the Muslim community of Macau.”
There are as many as 10,000 Muslims in Macau reckons Nasim, and many  celebrated the important festival yesterday.
Each year, a full-day program is held at the mosque site, which mainly offers opportunity for prayer and a chance to get something to eat. Some Muslims book the day off work to relish the celebration.
Nevertheless, as many Muslims in Macau are not able to book the day off, it is necessary that the site remains open for the whole day to offer local Muslims the chance to pray and eat when they have the chance to do so.