‘Really special’: Ayr, Ont. Marks first-ever Eid celebration

It was a packed house at the Ayr Curling Club Saturday as the Ayr Islamic Centre community celebrated the township’s first Eid-al-Fitr event.

It was a packed house at the Ayr Curling Club Saturday as the Ayr Islamic Centre community celebrated the township’s first Eid event.

The Ayr Eid Community Potluck Festival brought Muslim residents from across Waterloo Region together to join in on the festivities and celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

Ayr currently doesn’t have any places of worship dedicated to Muslims in the community, so the Ayr Curling Club welcomed the Ayr Islamic Centre community with open arms, allowing the group to rent a space for Friday prayers to take place every week prior to Saturday’s event.

Qavi Aziz is a chairperson for the Ayr Islamic Centre. He said events like these help his community come together.

“I want Ayr people to come here,” said Aziz. “I hope whatever we are trying to do in the Ayr Islamic Centre, we can gather not only Muslim friends but all walks of life who are here.”

Over 100 people came out to the Eid event, where they listened to speeches by community members, ate potluck items brought by each guest and mingled with other attendees.

Bryan May is the Member of Parliament for Cambridge and North Dumfries and attended the event alongside North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton. 

May said that despite the growth of Muslims being concentrated in Cambridge, he welcomes diversity in the townships.

“We actually have several mosques and centres in Cambridge [and] to see that continuing to grow out in the township is really special,” said May.

A search for their own space

Residents were sitting and standing wall-to-wall at Saturday’s event in the Ayr Curling Centre.

“Believe it or not, this is very small for us now,” said Aziz. “There are people coming from Cambridge and Kitchener and they want to come and join in on this event, but I can’t afford them because the hall is too small.”

Aziz said his next mission is to find a bigger space that will be dedicated to the Ayr Islamic Centre community.

“We were trying to find a bigger place for this [event] but, unfortunately, I couldn’t get it. So, that’s where our curling club is always for us,” said Aziz.

May and Foxton said they both agree with Aziz.

“They do need a centre,” said Foxton. “If they work with us in saving money as well towards it, I think it’d be wonderful.”

Aziz came to Canada almost 30 years ago and has travelled from place to place with his community. Despite other municipalities having access to mosques, Aziz has planted his roots in Ayr.

“[Ayr] is my home and whatever breath I have left in me, I want it to be here. I don’t want to move from here,” said Aziz.