22-March-2023
On
Tuesday-21-March the Borough of Bogota, along with Muslims
of Bogota in coordination with Eid Committee of New Jersey, hosted the First Ever Ramadan Celebration in the Borough. This
took place in front of the Municipal Building on
Larch Ave. As the Sun moved lower in the sky Mr. Muhammad Parvaz gave the
call to prayer. When sunset arrived Mr. Mohammed, A Salam
lead the first prayer of the new month. Soon afterwards the attendees
were invited to enjoy food and refreshments that were offered.
The official ceremony began when Master of
Ceremonies, Mr. Imran Iqbal asked
Ms. Simra Fatima to lead the audience in the Pledge of
Allegiance. Next verses from the Muslim Holy Book
‘The Quran’ were read first in Arabic and then the translation, in English.
This was followed by Speech by Jenna Makkaoui on
Ramadan. Local residents led by Mohammed A Salam
from the Eid Committee, Tasneem Salam, the organizer of this celebration
and the elected officials thanked everyone
for taking the time to join the Muslim Community
in sharing this event with them. This also featured Assemblywoman Mrs. Shama Haider, who is the first
Pakistani- American to serve in the New Jersey State Assembly
and Bogota Mayor Mr. Christopher Kelemen. Mayor Kelemen was presented
a proclamation from New Jersey Congressman Mr.
Josh Gottheimer in recognition of holding this Ramadan event.
Finally, Mrs. Tasneem Salam, Mrs. Seher Iqbal and a
group of ladies who helped in organizing this celebration gathered around
Assemblywoman Shama Haider, and Mayor Kelemen who
lead the countdown to light the Borough Hall to signify the start of
Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar. It is the holy month
of fasting, beginning and ending with the appearance of the crescent
moon. This is when God revealed to Prophet Muhammad( Peace be Upon
Him) ‘The Qur’an’, Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.” This
month is a period of introspection, communal prayers and helping the poor and
needy. A part of this period is the Sawm which is to practice a
fast-during daylight hours. The end of the month of Ramadan, this year
will be on Thursday-20-April and is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr the “Festival of breaking the Fast”.
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