EID MUBARAK! (Happy Eid) from the Pakistani American Leadership Center

Washington D.C., December 18, 2007 – The Pakistani American Leadership Center (PAL-C) extends a heartfelt Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid) to all of its members. Taqabbala Allahu minna wa minkum (May God accept the good deeds from us, and from you). This year Eid al Adha will fall on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007.

As the year 2007 comes to a close, the PAL-C Board and staff would also like to thank you for your ongoing participation in helping to build a stronger and more vibrant America through your support of PAL-C and the Pakistani American community.

As we head into 2008, we look forward to improving our service to the Pakistani American community by strengthening the voice of Pakistani Americans on the Hill, providing you with better coverage and analysis of those issues and events that particularly impact the Pakistani American community, by reaching out to other organizations and building effective coalitions on the issues of immigration, civil rights, education, and creating a broad and sustainable U.S.-Pakistan relationship that encompasses bilateral trade and technology transfer, educational and cultural exchanges, development assistance and continuing security cooperation between the two nations.

Pakistani Americans have always been strong and positive contributors to the larger American community, and we hope that in 2008 this tradition will continue to blossom as Pakistani Americans increase their civic participation by voting in the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections, by entering into American politics on the national, state, and local levels and by continuing their participation in community-building organizations such as free public health clinics, local charities, educational initiatives such as literacy projects, and creating and maintaining homeless and domestic violence shelters.

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More on Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha (also called Baqra Eid - literally "Goat Eid") is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commemoration of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah. It is one of two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba). It is also called the bigger Eid because it lasts a day longer than Eid ul-Fitr.

Eid al-Adha is four days long and starts on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. This is the day after the pilgrims in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.

Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer (Salatu'l-`id) in any mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows, and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) sacrifice. The sacrificed animals, called "udhiya Arabic: أضحية" also known as "qurbani", have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, these must be at least 4 years old, and weigh 26 st. At the time of sacrifice, Allah's name is recited along with the offering statement and a supplication as Muhammad said.

According to the Quran a large portion of the meat has to be given towards the poor and hungry people so they can all join in the feast which is held on Eid-ul-Adha. The remainder is cooked for the family celebration meal in which relatives and friends are invited to share. The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid ul-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished Muslim is left without sacrificial food during these days. Eid ul-Adha is a concrete affirmation of what the Muslim community ethic means in practice. People in these days are expected to visit their relatives, starting with their parents, then their families and friends.

Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period, as well as chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day and after prayers throughout the four days of Eid.

The Pakistani American Leadership Center (PAL-C) is a professional Pakistani-American advocacy organization with an office located on Capitol Hill. It launched the Congressional Pakistan Caucus in May 2004 and works to raise awareness about Pakistani-American interests in Washington policy circles. Our activities include facilitating the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, liaising Pakistani officials and the community with Members of Congress, and mobilizing all Pakistani-Americans at the grassroots level. If you wish to learn more about PAL-C, please visit our website www.pal-c.org or email us at info@pal-c.org.

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