By Rebecca Abu Qaoud

Assalam Waleikum Warahmatulla Wabarakatuhu!

I have to share a wonderful experience that my children and I had recently. This is the second year that I have attended the Eid Festival organized by the Chicago Association of Latino-American Muslims (CALAM). This is a new occurrence in my personal experience. I have attended other Eid Festivals since becoming Muslim, and I have come to appreciate its importance.

Eid-ul-Fitr was not really meaningful to me at the begining as a new Muslim. My husband was a great source of information in understanding this Islamic festival. I learned to enjoy it by experiencing it with the Islamic community. Now as a mother of two small children, five and three years old, I was delighted to see the joy of my children at the recent Eid Festival that we attended.

The joy of my children is my joy too. To see that they are also learning the meaning of Eid-ul-Fitr brings me satisfaction. During the month of Ramadan, I sat down with them to explain the meaning of Ramadan, and after its period, Eid-ul-Fitr comes. I did my best to explain these important topics at their level. They were waiting anxiously for Eid, because I told them that they would receive a gift.

Children definitively enjoy gifts, and they eventually would learn the real meaning of Eid. “Mommy, look, my pony,” said my daughter, and my son asked me to open a box which contained a small robot. They received the gifts from the brothers at the Eid Festival.

“Mommy, I hit the pinata,” my daughter said with a big smile on her face.

“Mommy, I want to come back again,” said my son.

“InshaAllah, my dear we will come back,” I replied.

It is my pleasure to discuss this blessed experience with you. I’m almost positive that whoever attended this year’s Eid festival had a blessed day. May Allah bless the organizers who put their effort together. A great phenomenon that is going on in the Islamic community sponsored by Latino Muslims.