Eid al-Adha festival in Perth highlights multicultural unity and spiritual reflection

Australia Broadcast Center

17 hours ago

Thousands of Muslims across Perth and Western Australia have come together to celebrate the start of one of the biggest holidays on the Islamic calendar.
Praying side-by-side at one of Perth's largest open spaces, hundreds of worshippers gathered at Whiteman Park to mark Eid al-Adha with a special prayer called Salat al-Eid.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the act of faith shown by Prophet Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son in obedience to God's commandment.
It also coincides with the ending of Hajj – the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
The holiday follows Eid al-Fitr, which was celebrated earlier this year to mark the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting and spiritual reflection.
Sheikh Saleh Ibrahim, the imam of the Islamic Centre of WA, has been leading the Eid prayer at the park for years.
'We've been doing this for nearly 30 years now, we started at Kings Park with about 50 people but once the community grew, we moved to Whiteman Park,' he said.
'Now there's hundreds of people at the park, and that's besides the many mosques around Perth where more people attend.
'So it's very important for us a Muslim community to celebrate and enjoy these blessed days.'
Sheikh Ibrahim said Eid al-Adha was a time for deep reflection and submission to the will of God, generosity and empathy.
The festival involves a ritual sacrifice of livestock such as sheep, goats or cows and sharing the meat among family, friends and those less fortunate.
People will also mark the occasion by giving gifts, wearing their best clothes and eating sweets.
Following the Eid prayer, the festivities continued with a selection of food trucks, show-rides, lolly bags and charitable donations.
Mahmoud Abu Geras has attended the annual Eid event since he was a child and now brings along his own children.
'It's a beautiful occasion to spend with family and friends, there's plenty of food, toys and rides around for the kids,' he said.
'There's a lot of happy people here today … you've got the young, you've got the old and it's just beautiful to have this multiculturalism, this gathering together and celebrating it all as one.'
His friend also acknowledged how significant the event was in bringing different communities together.
'It's a beautiful thing seeing different cultures, people from all different backgrounds come together to celebrate the same thing,' Abdul Rahman Mohamed Ali said.
'Regardless if you know someone or not, everybody's shaking hands, giving each other a hug, embracing and wishing each other Eid Mubarak.'
But for attendees, the day was also about reflecting on their fellow Muslims around the world.
'It is marked by a bit of sadness given what's going on in the world and the suffering that's going on,' community leader Toni Pikos-Sallie said.
'It is a happy time definitely, but we also can't forget that people are suffering.'
The mother of seven said the community was appreciative of the privilege to practice their faith freely and to celebrate such holy occasions.
'The world is beginning to realise we are all human, we all have a place here and we should be living in peace and harmony,' Dr Pikos-Sallie said.
'On days like this when we are thinking of the needy and those suffering and we're reflecting on our actions and trying to better ourselves, people are starting to see we are an important part of the community and society.'