Huge Turnout for Muslim Holiday Event

Several hundred Norwood-area Muslims gathered in Williamsbridge Oval Park on Tuesday Aug. 30, to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

The outdoor ceremony, which was organized by the North Bronx Islamic Center, was the first of its kind in the Norwood area.

“In this neighborhood, it’s the first time we’re doing it in a park,” said longtime mosque attendee Nurul Haque. “After 30 days of the fast, sacrifice, mercy, discipline…you get to celebrate yourself along with others.”

Moinul Hussein, a 24-year-old college student, said he was hoping the outdoor prayer would help dispel myths about the Muslim community.

“I want people to see us, what we do. There’s nothing crazy going on. Just like how people go to the church and pray, we go to the mosque and pray. We follow an Imam, they follow a priest.”

Ramadan is considered the holiest month for the religion of Islam. It is marked by followers fasting from sunrise to sunset.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.