ʿEīd Mubārak from Dialogue Across Borders
Today at 6:20 p.m., the Maghrib (sunset) prayer call and subsequent ifṭār meal signaled the end of the Ramaḍān fast in Egypt and the begining of the ʿEīd al-Fiṭr holiday. As a public holiday, ʿEīd al-Fiṭr, which means the “feast of breaking the fast,” started today and will continue through Sunday, April 14th. The lower limit for zakāt al-Fiṭr, or alms for the poor that are to be given before the end of the month of Ramaḍān, was set at 35 EGP by the Grand Muftī of Egypt, Dr. Shawqī ʿAllām. In my conversations with Muslims over the past month, I was struck by how many described the Ramaḍān fast in positive terms rather than as a hardship.
Throughout the month, many communities in Egypt set up mawāʾid al-Raḥman (“tables of the Merciful One”). Sponsored by various individuals, communities, or businesses, these are places where people can enjoy qualityifṭār meals without cost.
(A māʾidat al-Raḥman in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo.)
The Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding and Partnership, where I also serve as academic director, hosted an ifṭār meal on Wednesday, April 3rd. It was a warm evening attended by a number of prominent Muslim and Christian leaders, as well as staff from several embassies in Cairo. During the program, the profound suffering of the people of Palestine and Sudan was highlighted in a variety of ways, as well as prayers for a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East.
(Dr. Ibrahim Negm, a senior advisor to the Grand Mufti of Egypt, offers remarks at the CCMUP ifṭār.)
SAT-7, the largest Christian satellite channel in the Middle East, produced a nice video about the event.
Dialogue Across Borders would like to wish Muslims a blessed ʿEīd al-Fiṭr wherever they are celebrating.
All the very best,
Matthew Anderson
Director - Center for Arab-West Understanding
Executive Editor - Dialogue Across Borders (Brill)
April 9th, 2024
Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations
Dialogue Across Borders is a database of summary translations of Arabic newspaper articles with references to their sources about intercultural and interreligious relations, focusing primarily but not exclusively on Muslim-Christian relations. The database also contains articles with editorial analysis and interviews on the subject.