Montreal Muslims celebrate Eid with charity, acts of kindness

Celebrating Eid with charity Montreal's Muslim community is celebrating Eid, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

MONTREAL — Members of the Muslim community around the world celebrated Eid, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, on Sunday and some in Montreal worked to ensure everyone would be able to break their fast.

Al Medinah Centre president Bilal Abdul Kader was with his three children, helping the Sister Sabria Foundation pack and deliver boxes of food to the less fortunate.

“We pack food baskets to share our happiness with them,” he said. “They have food for Eid and they feel that someone is caring for them in the community.”

Kader said giving charity is a central part of celebrating Eid.

“It's a religious obligation for every Muslim to pay a small portion to charity at the end of the month,” he said.

He added that obligation has become all the more important this year, with many suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects.

“Usually we give away 150 but this year it's 320,” said Sister Sabria Foundation founder Sabria Hussein.

One of those recipients is Abdul Aziz, who has been confined to his apartment since the pandemic began.

“We feel grateful to these people and happy to get that,” he said. “With this confinement, we can't go out and we thank these people for the kind of things they give us.”

Kader said he hopes to pass the values of Eid on to his children.

“It's very important to help people and to share the happiness with the people you know,” he said.