Eid Picnic 2016

On Saturday, July 9th 2016 the Madinah Community Center and Islamic Center of East Madison came together to host a picnic at 6510 Watts road to mark the celebration of Eid al-Fitr 2016. The event lasted over a span of several hours, starting at 1pm, and was aimed to bring the Muslim community of Madison together to share the joys of Eid (which was on Wednesday, July 6th 2016).

The event began by offering the congregational Thuhr salat lead by local Muslim business owner Saad Khalifa. The Muslim community was joined in their celebration by Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, U.S. Attorney for Western Wisconsin John Vaudreuil, and Madison District 17 Alderman Samba Baldeh. Each of the guests took a moment to speak to the community and address the importance of reporting hate crimes to the authorities so they can be aware of the issues facing Muslim communities in today’s political climate and to help protect our communities from further crime.

The event also observed the certificate distribution ceremony of the Quran recitation competition winners which was held during Ramadan 2016. Other highlights of the picnic included activities for the children which included games and bouncing castles, delicious food and an excellent opportunity for families to come together and enjoy.

The organizers are grateful to the guest speakers for joining the Muslim community in their celebration and are especially happy to see a large number of the community members participating in the event to make it possible. The efforts of the volunteers are especially acknowledged. From planning to implementation, from cooking to cleaning, setting up in the beginning and cleaning everything at the end; the volunteers in our community help make events like these possible.

May Allah (the glorious, the most high) reward everyone for their tireless efforts and bring us all together through such events in future as well. Ameen.