On Sunday, Muslims across the world celebrated the end of Ramadan, a month-long time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.
With Governor Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order in effect, Ramadan as a whole has looked a little different this year. In Dearborn, families displayed Ramadan lights as a way to brighten spirits during the coronavirus shutdown, since friends and extended family were unable to gather together to break fast during an evening meal known as the iftar. In Detroit, Mosques set up virtual connections across YouTube, Facebook, Zoom, and more to bring members together during Ramadan.
And as Muslim families prepared for the end of Ramadan with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills offered another option for those celebration: A drive-thru Eid service.
“[It’s the] most important holiday in our religion and our faith and unfortunately during these difficult circumstances, we are unable to celebrate the way we usually want to. But that’s not going to stop us from doing some sort of activity to celebrate the month of Ramadan,” board member Yaman Al-Hadidi said. “And so we did the best we could under the circumstances we are in and we felt that doing a drive-by would give us a sense of happiness through these challenging times.”
Former Michigan Radio intern Nisa Khan visited the celebration with her family and captured what this socially-distanced celebration looked like in the time of a global pandemic. Click through the photo slideshow above to learn more.
