I hope the visiting JW Sunday speaker doesn't get lost. WAIT -- I hope he does!
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctein.artoct14,0,7987399.story?track=rss
Group Celebrates Ramadan End
Former Jehovah's Witnesses Hall Has Become Mosque
By JIM SHEA | Courant Staff Writer
MERIDEN - The end of Ramadan, a monthlong period of fasting and reflection, was particularly joyful for members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community this year because they celebrated it at their new mosque in South Meriden.
The ceremony, called Eid ul Fitr or simply Eid, took place Saturday at the Baitul Aman mosque, which until being purchased by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in April, had been a Jehovah's Witnesses hall.
"Before we purchased the mosque we used to meet at the Hungarian Club hall in Wallingford," said Dr. Sohail Husain, an assistant professor at the Yale University School of Medicine, and the mosque's information director.In terms of work, Husain said very little needed to be done, with the biggest renovation being the erection of a long curtain to divide the hall into separate sides for men and women.
Soon after moving into their new building, Husain said the members went out into the neighborhood to introduce themselves and present residents with a small gift (chocolates), which is their custom.
The mosque's name, Baitul Aman, means "House of Peace" in Arabic. A large sign outside the mosque displays the motto "Love for All, Hatred for None" and is reflective of the community's gentle philosophy.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is present in 189 countries, was founded more than 100 years ago by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who condemned violence and terrorism under any circumstances. Members of the Ahmadiyya community believe their founder was a messiah. They consider themselves Muslims but are barred from practicing their religion in Pakistan. The movement estimates that about 15,000 Ahmadis live in the United States, where mosques generally draw their members from geographical regions. Most of the approximately 130 members of Baitul Aman are from Connecticut or just across the border.
While the membership is diverse, it is heavily made up of individuals from India and Pakistan, many of whom work in such fields as medicine, physics and engineering.
Probably the most well known member of Baitul Aman attending Saturday's Eid was Ahmad Jamal, the noted American jazz pianist, who now makes his home in Salisbury.
Jamal is a past recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' American Jazz Masters award (1994), and a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University. His work "Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me" is considered a jazz classic.
"I have been studying [Islam] since 1951," said the 77-year-old Jamal. "I just took the last two months off from touring for Ramadan. We're going to be heading back out in a few weeks."
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, taking not so much as a drink of water during the day. The Eid takes place on the first day following the end of Ramadan.
Saturday's service was short and included a brief sermon in which members were urged to respect each other, avoid being proud or arrogant, and to reach out and let the world know that "Islam is peace."
Some men were dressed for the Eid in Western clothes, others in robes called shelwar-kames, traditional cultural dress. Most of the women wore headscarves and long colorful dresses called hejabs.
In addition to its members, the mosque also invited people from the surrounding neighborhood as well as local leaders, many of who sent congratulations but did not attend.
One who did was Meriden Mayor Mark Benigni, who addressed the congregation after the services.
"Meriden is pleased to have you here," Benigni said.
Afterward, he added: "What we appreciate is that the mosque has reached out to us. We want to make Meriden a better place, and they do, too."
Contact Jim Shea at [email protected].