‘People were actually crying’ – after 16 months of life under Covid, how the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland celebrated Eid Al-Adha.
Socially distanced praying, a large reduction in the number of worshippers admitted to the south Dublin mosque… but also a large swell of emotion and prayer as Ireland’s Muslims mark significant Islamic holiday.
Article by Melanie Finn
People were openly crying by the time they arrived at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) in Dublin’s Clonskeagh for the start of Eid al-Adha celebrations.
Many hadn’t seen fellow members of the Muslim community since the start of the pandemic and hearing the call to prayer coming from the complex that houses its sprawling mosque was an emotional moment.
ICCI officials along with its Covid compliance officer had been liaising behind the scenes with the HSE and various Government departments to try to make some kind of gathering happen for its community this year.
In the end, it was agreed that the centre could accommodate 350 worshippers in a socially distanced manner over three quick sermons on the first day of Eid last Tuesday.
The complex has a capacity of 2,500, so it was nowhere near what the community was used to pre-pandemic. But adjusting to the restrictions and accommodating 1,050 in small groups over the course of the day was still a step towards marking the second-most celebrated holiday in the Islamic calendar.
After a tough 16 months, it gave Irish Muslims precious opportunity to unite in a spiritual fashion with their community around the world.
Elizabeth Kenna, who heads the ICCI’s welfare department, said there was a huge outpouring of emotion for those taking part in the day.
“People were actually crying on the first day of Eid because they had missed this so much,” she said.
“What happens in advance of the prayer is that we do a lot of calling, of praising to God and we do that on microphone around the grounds so people who were praying outside could hear it.
“And it’s such a beautiful sound as a Muslim when you’re coming in the entrance.
“As we’re coming to prayer ourselves, we would be praising to God in the car as we’re coming because we’re going to the mosque. But to arrive at the mosque and hear this on loudspeaker with everybody partaking again, people cried when they heard this sound because they had missed it so much.”
There was a large team of security on site to ensure restrictions were adhered to and to organise parking, while everyone had to bring their own prayer mat.
Along with the main mosque which can hold more than 1,000 people, there is also a large seminar room, a multi-purpose hall and a large balcony area.
Organisers decided that unlike the open-air event that was held in Croke Park, they would be able to accommodate more people by having three socially distanced events spread out around the complex.
Dressed in their best clothes for the occasion, there was a steady trickle of people into the centre over the course of the day as they went to thank Allah for their blessings.
“We had a huge team on hand to deal with everything. People listened to a very brief sermon and then left quickly in their cars. We gave each family a bag of goodies and a card as a celebration of the Eid to try and keep it as a memory with them,” she said.
“Previously we would have had games and people would stay on the grounds but it still ran very smoothly and it was a huge moment for them, to be able to do this again.”
Elizabeth Kenna is 21 years at the centre and said it was such an “emotional time” for everyone involved in the day and it was wonderful to be able to mark the day post-pandemic.
“People hadn’t seen each other in over a year and especially people who would have come in from other counties,” she said.
There is also Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and took place this year in May while Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) commemorates the prophet Ibrahim.
Asked to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a test of his faith, God sent a lamb instead to be sacrificed which is why the holiday is marked by eating an animal of some kind, usually a sheep. In Ireland, the local butcher plays an important role in the celebrations.
“It’s the commemoration of the story of Ibraham and his son,” said Ms Kenna.
“What happens in Ireland is you’ll go to your local Halal butcher and book your sheep in advance of the Eid and a lot of the people would give it as a generous donation to families in other countries who are unable to celebrate the Eid. This is done by the various charities here: the money is given to them and they pass it on.”
The sharing of the meat is a hugely important part of the celebration and dictates that one-third of the animal is given to the needy, one third is shared by friends and family and one third is kept for yourself.
The fine weather has meant that a lot of people in the Muslim community have been able to meet up again in the parks and green areas to reunite with family members they may not have seen for over a year.
“A lot of the community are out in parks and meeting up and the celebrations are going on until the end of the week. People who have sacrificed a lamb, usually they will have barbecues and bring friends and relatives and they’re able to do that this year in limited numbers; that’s wonderful for them,” she said.
The only tricky aspect of the Eid celebrations was having to remind people of social-distancing restrictions at the Islamic Centre as people felt the full emotional weight of the post-Covid celebrations.
“There was a huge outpouring of emotion and it was very hard to restrain people from going up and hugging each other. The emotion takes them over and you’re like, ‘Please remember social distancing, be careful’. You almost feel like an intruder telling people not to do this but it had to be done.”
