Eleven mosques from across the Triangle partnered together on Saturday to host a festival celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday also known as the feast of sacrifice. The crowd enjoyed cultural cuisine, family-friendly games and shopping for art and clothing at the festival, which took place at the Jim Graham Building on the NC State Fairgrounds.

Eid al-Adha honors the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as an act of obedience. In the Quran, Allah provides a ram for Ibrahim to use as an offering just before Ismail is sacrificed. Today, Muslims who are not participating in a pilgrimage to the site of the event celebrate by sacrificing livestock. Typically, a third of the meat is kept for their family, a third is gifted to friends and family and the remaining is donated to charity.

Ahmed Gomaa is the chair of the events committee at the Islamic Association of Raleigh, one of the 11 mosques involved in the festival, in addition to being an NC State alumni where he received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He said unity is at the heart of this occasion and the celebration that comes with it.

“In our prayers, we pray together,” Gomaa said. “In our celebrations, we celebrate together. So a big part of it is making sure that we bring all the different communities across the area together in one place to celebrate, and that signifies the importance of coming together as united in the same faith.”

During his time at NC State in 2014, Gomaa started a small celebration of Eid al-Adha within the University while leading the Egyptian Student Association. While other mosques in the area continued to host celebrations independently, Gomaa said it was always his goal to partner with them.

“My dream at that time was to bring the different mosques together and have something together,” Gomaa said. “It took 10 years to happen, but it’s happened.”

The NC State Muslim Student Association had baked goods for sale, the money for which goes toward humanitarian aid in Gaza in wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Hiba Alayyan, a second-year studying social work, represented the group at the festival. She said while Eid al-Adha is a celebratory occasion, the war remains a focus within the Muslim community.

“We always grieve for the people of Palestine,” Alayyan said. “Even in the happy times, we still take action for them. We go on with our lives, we still celebrate, but we’re still taking action.”

Majid AbdelRaziq, a volunteer for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said the holiday comes with a reminder that not everyone is able to celebrate the occasion. The Muslim Public Affairs Council encourages Muslims to get involved in the political process, with current efforts being put toward voter registration ahead of the upcoming election and in light of the Israel-Hamas war.

“I think there’s a frustration across the board for Americans on what our government is doing and if they actually represent us or not,” AbdelRaziq said. “I don’t think most of us believe that they do, so this is an effort to get our community organized.”

Gomaa said the celebration is not only for Muslims to participate in, and this rang true in the attendance. As for how participation by non-Muslims can be done respectfully, Gomaa said nothing more is required besides a mutual respect for one another. 

This mutual respect is reflected in the Islamic Center of Morrisville’s Boy Scouts of America troop. Troop leader Althaf Hussain said the troops at his mosque often go on camping trips with Jewish, Christian and Hindu troops. He said while they all have their own identity, this unity is what leads to a thriving community.

The emphasis on unity was meshed within the organization of Eid Fest, as Gomaa pointed to the collaboration between the 11 mosques, the welcome to those of all faiths and the invitation extended to local elected officials. Gomaa said it’s this presence in the community that makes an event like Eid Fest successful.

“We have strong connections to the community around us,” Gomaa said. “Getting to know people is one of the best ways to have a community that works together, not against each other.”