TUESDAY marked the end of Ramadan — a holy month for Muslims in which they fast from sunrise to sunset.
And as Ramadan came to an end, Muslims all over the world geared up to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
On Wednesday morning, the Swan Hill musalla was filled with a festive spirit as Muslims gathered for Eid prayers.
For Abida Elahi, the prayer service is a way to interact with long-time and new Muslims in the community every year and understand that loneliness and isolation can affect many Muslims who move to smaller towns that contrast with celebrations in their home countries.
“I want to bring a sense of comfort to new people in the community and it also brings comfort to connect with them,” Ms Elahi told The Guardian.
“It’s nice to be able to celebrate Eid anywhere but in a small town like Swan Hill we are all strongly connected.”
Ms Elahi’s daughter Madiha travelled to Swan Hill to celebrate Eid with her family.
Having grown up in Swan Hill, Madiha and her siblings have celebrated Eid with the rest of Swan Hill’s Muslim community for years.
Coming back to Swan Hill has reminded her of a sense of community.
“It’s really easy to not have the resources to get the community together like this,” she said.
“That’s why having events and celebrations like this are so much more important in a small community.”
While reflecting on celebrating Eid with her family and friends in her home town, Madiha also turned her focus to those less fortunate in Palestine.
“It’s also been a tough time for a lot of Muslims in other parts of the world recently so it means a lot to be together and to be able to pray together in unity,” she said.
Ms Elahi said she and her husband Manzoor Elahi decided to rent two empty rooms behind the Uniting Church in 2005, which is now a prayer space for Muslims.
As a mother of six children, she wanted to keep the traditions of faith alive regardless of living in a town with little Muslim presence.
“We’ve been organising gatherings and prayer services for Eid because I wanted my children to understand the significance of Eid and why we celebrate it,” she said.
“I also do it for the wider community who need a place to practise their faith with others.”
While Ms Elahi has celebrated Eid in many countries, including her homeland Pakistan, she said celebrating Eid in Australia was exciting due to the diversity of cultures that came together for morning prayers.
Muslims from different ethnic backgrounds like Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Morocco and more came to the musalla in Swan Hill.
“I love that so many people from different backgrounds can come together here,” she said.
“Even though Swan Hill is a small place, there is a lot of diversity within the Muslim community itself.”
