Expat communities celebrate Eid with help of social media

This Eid al-Fitr brought a glimpse of home for the faithful as they were able to attend Eid prayers in congregation.
Though prayer-goers had to observe the preventive and precautionary measures against the spread of Covid-19, they had an enchanting Eid as they were allowed to offer the prayers and see their friends and neighbours at mosques and prayer grounds.
This year the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs made arrangements in 1,028 mosques and prayer grounds in various regions of the country.
Last year, mosques and prayer grounds remained closed during Eid-al-Fitr with the Mosques Management Department at the Ministry readying 401 mosques and prayer grounds for Eid al-Adha prayers.
Although life has not yet returned to complete normalcy, things continue to improve with strict adherence to safety precautions and a massive vaccination drive.
With partial restrictions still in place and people taking care, large community and mass gatherings were missing.
Expatriate Muslims celebrated the second consecutive Eid al-Fitr holding virtual meetings and exchanging Eid greetings via social media handles.
Under normal circumstances, expatriates celebrate Eid with fun and fervour with large family and community gatherings and outings with friends. This year, being away from home and even from families, many expatriates had to resort to social media and online platforms to stay connected and exchange Eid greetings with loved ones.
Gulf Times spoke to representatives of different expatiate communities on how they spent this happy occasion.
Ziad Usman, president of the Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF), said: “As one of the holy celebrations, marking the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is always celebrated with joy, together with family and friends. We are lucky to be in this part of the globe. While the world is still in the grip of the pandemic, we are safer and moving towards normalcy.
“While celebrations are not what it was couple of years ago, it is still a day of faith and hope. Today we can meet family and friends back home or here via Internet. New technologies have helped us stay connected. It is imperative that we adhere to government guidelines to help us move past the pandemic. I wish everyone a safe, healthy and prosperous year ahead.”
Riyaz Ahmed Bakali, director, The Next Generation School, and an active member of the Pakistani community in Qatar, said people are quick at adapting to changing realities.
“Physically sending Eid cards via postal services to the e-mail and now social media message is an example of changing times and our adaptation. Though large family gatherings, hugs and handshakes are missing, the warmth and positive feelings of Eid for relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbours will not diminish. Covid-19 will vanish but the happiness and joy of Eid will not.
“The Pakistani community in Qatar enjoyed the Eid utilising social media for collaboration and communication, engaging themselves in online and virtual forums to exchange greetings. The creative graphical art work used for Eid greetings appearing on social media has increased phenomenally,” Bakali pointed out.
Malaysian Association of Qatar (MAQ) president, Mohamed Redzuan, said: “Qatar is going through a second year of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is limited outdoor activities and restrictions on gatherings. The Malaysian community used to celebrate Eid by socialising and visiting each other’s homes, restaurants and hotels with family, friends and colleagues. However since the first year of pandemic, MAQ has been organising ‘Takbir’ prayer over Zoom with all community leaders, individuals and the Malaysian embassy staff.
“In addition, this year we had our MAQ team entertain the audience with a short Eid celebration video and also held fun game quiz using ‘Kahoot.’ The top five winners received attractive prizes sponsored by Hyatt Plaza Mall, Holiday Villa Hotel, Mamarozie Restaurant, Go-ssip Bubble Tea and two individuals from the MAQ executive committee.”
Anwar Hossain Akon, president, Bangladesh Community Qatar (BCQ), expressed happiness in being able to offer Eid prayers at mosques while observing SOPs.
“In 2020 we could not offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at mosque because of a complete prohibition. The celebrations this year are slightly better after the withdrawal of some restrictions. Also we are now mentally stronger and well habituated compared with the previous year.
“Moreover, Qatar has done well in its fight against Covid-19 and carrying out the vaccination campaign. We are happy that almost 40% of the eligible population of Qatar have been vaccinated starting February 2021. We must follow MoPH rules and regulations.
“We avoided visiting friends homes and dining outside. Instead we exchanged Eid greetings through social media. On behalf of Bangladesh Community Qatar, we arranged a virtual Eid reunion programme on Zoom, where we connected with a large number of community members.”
Hazim Hamza, general secretary of the Sri Lankan Community Benevolent Fund and head of the Sri Lankan community Development Forum Qatar said: “This year Ramadan was no different from last year with the continued pandemic and restrictions. However, this year we saw some relaxation with only partial restrictions. Families and community adapted well with the experiences they gained previously. The situation this year was somewhat favourable. As responsible community organisations, we kept the community informed of the developments and the need to follow health guidelines in place through social media channels. Several awareness videos were recorded and shared among the community.
“The Eid this year was celebrated within the immediate family members respecting health guidelines and restrictions in place whilst not forgetting traditions and customs. We are happy at the relaxation applied to engage in Eid prayers in congregation.
“On behalf of Sri Lankans living in Qatar, we salute and thank the Government of Qatar and health workers for doing their best to contain the spread of the virus and working towards the safety and wellbeing of all.”