Generations of Native-Born American Muslims attend Eid Reunion on Long Island, NY

By Layla Abdullah-Poulos

This Eid, Muslims from across the country arrived at Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan and reunite with family and childhood Muslim friends. The Eid Celebration and Reunion 2015 was organized by Nadira Abdul-Karim. Abdul-Karim and her team of volunteers ensured it was a day of fun and community for all by providing scrumptious food, bouncy houses, basketball tournaments, and face painting.

In addition to food and fun, the day was marked by Native-born American Muslims reuniting through their associations with Masjid Ta Ha, the oldest mosque on Long Island, NY. According to Muslim activist Ujima Jame, Masjid Ta Ha was established in 1974, by Imam Isa Abdul Kareem, as part of the Dar-ul-Islamic Movement. The masjid attained a permanent home in Roosevelt, NY in 1980.  In addition to being the first house of worship for Muslims on Long Island. Masjid Ta ha also launched the first accredited Islamic school, Madrasah Al-Araaf, on the island and offered Islamic education to a diverse population of Muslim students from Nassau and Suffolk counties. It was the students of  Madrasah Al-Araaf, now adults with their own families, who served as the driving force for the Eid Reunion.

The generations of Muslims attending the event represent  a long history of Native-born American Muslims in the United States, with revelers that are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Muslims. Bayyina Abdel-Jaleel brought her young sons for a day of fun. “It was a good opportunity for Muslims to come together,” said Abdel-Jaleel. Abdel-Jaleel’s family comprises of 5 generations of native-born African-American Muslims, including her parents, grandparents, and great-grandmother, who all converted to Islam. She, her siblings, nieces and nephews are part of a large population of African-Americans who were born and raised Muslims, which dispels the widely-held misconception that all American Muslims of non-foreign descent  are converts.

The Native-born American Muslim subgroup continues to grow and become a very diverse part of the American Muslim subculture. The children of Euro-American Yusuf Abdul-Latif and African-American Atira Muhamin were a few of the many multi-racial youth at the event. The identities and experiences of multi-racial and multi-ethnic Muslims demonstrate how multifaceted the American Muslim culture is and that its members are not easily categorized.

The Eid Reunion was one of many celebrations by NbA Muslims across the country which serve as examples of the heterogeneous Islamic-American culture.