Once this is sorted, and i find i have to send Eid cards on different days for different people, all is settled, neighbours are happy (few muslim ones), families phone to wish us an Eid Mabrook and my small immdediate family celebrate Eid. We go to the Masjid for the Eid prayer, come home great everyone, phone relatives, have a special meal with a huge choice and variety, laugh, talk, and so on.

I think its just important for all the family to be together and enjoy themselves. In Cape Town we used to take food for the needy and visit people in poorer areas, as they really suffer below poverty lines. In London the only good we can do in that way is to give charity (Fitra) Lillah and Sadaqa to the Masjid’s collection.

Eid is a day I love, because no matter how hectic life can be around the day, where before Eid we are praying as much as we can to get rewards and barakat from Allah, and after where its trying to implement the new things we have learnt from that Ramadan into our everyday life and getting into new eating patterns. Eid always lights my heart with thoughts of being a young girl competing with her cousins over who can get the most Eidi from family members, eating th most delicious foods and wearing a new dress.

I hope i can one day instill good qualities onto my children, so they may see the importance behind Eid, and how Allah in His infinite mercy has given us the blessing of Eid, where we may enjoy and celebrate those things like eating in the day, we so take for granted.

May peace and blessings be with everyone in the world, Eid Mabrook. Laila Majid.

Shaden you said
“what a way to label more than 60 million people as drinkers. What you wrote Karim was unjust to every Egyptian, very offending and irresponsible if I may add.”

Roba you said
“I did not find it appropriate to take Egypt, a very religious and conservative country, and generalize that people celebrate Eid by getting drunk.”

But the only thing in reference to drinking I wrote was
“The most entertaining thing to see are the college kids that start drinking immediately; drunk by 9am. After a month of prohibition what do you expect?”

Label more than 60 million? Generalize that (Egyptian) people celebrate Eid by getting drunk? No, a select few college kids is what I said and it was meant as comic relief, not to mention that is a very real and fairly spread occurrence. Not all of Egypt is conservative. The Egyptian mentality is not monolithic; actually it is fairly diverse, and some kids just want to have fun. Perhaps we need to lighten up a bit?

Karim Elsahy