For Qassim Abdullah, this year’s Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr marked a bit of a milestone: Now fully vaccinated, the 66-year-old finally felt comfortable enough to return to his mosque for the Eid prayer on Thursday, his first time back since the start of the pandemic.
“It’s overwhelming and exciting,” the Maryland resident said. “It’s very nice to see the community. …It’s just a beautiful feeling.”
There were changes: He wore two masks and didn’t stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other worshippers as he normally would have during prayers. But Eid still felt more celebratory than last year.
“It is definitely much better,” he said. “I don’t think it is very close to normal (yet) but it’s going that way. At least we’re going out of our houses.”
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Traditionally, people gather for prayers, visit family and friends and huddle together around festive meals.