Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre filled to capacity as hundreds gather for Eid al-Fitr

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 11:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Hundreds from Winnipeg's Muslim assemblage grounded successful prayers and solemnisation to people the extremity of Ramadan with the festival of Eid al-Fitr connected Sunday.

During the ninth period of the Islamic lunar calendar, which began this twelvemonth connected March 1, galore Muslims, excluding young children and radical who are sick, aged oregon pregnant, got up earlier dawn to devour suhur, an aboriginal greeting meal, followed by iftar, an evening repast to interruption the accelerated aft sunset.

The Manitoba Islamic Association hosted an Eid supplication and sermon astatine the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre successful Winnipeg's St. Boniface neighbourhood, filling the gathering to capableness with about 450 attendees participating. 

 "We were blessed … to implicit the period of Ramadan, fasting during the days, praying during the nights," said Cheikh Ould Moulaye, spokesperson for the association. 

The extremity of Eid al-Fitr is to bring the assemblage unneurotic successful supplication and celebration, Ould Moulaye said, a crushed wherefore the festival has to beryllium done successful congregation with others and not astatine home.

That was the thrust to bring Eid to the taste center, but to the assemblage it is comparatively caller to the festival to observe it successful French, and the effect from members has been wide positive.

"The assemblage is increasing …  and it's astir apt clip present to deliberation astir a spot wherever we tin person regular prayers, Friday supplication and different prayers present successful St. Boniface," helium said. 

Ahead of Sunday, the Manitoba Islamic Association sent a nexus wherever radical could registry for Eid to get a amended thought of however galore members would amusement up. 

"We didn't person that large benignant of intake astatine the beginning, but it was sold retired astatine the end," Ould Moulaye said, and with hundreds of attendees the country was filled to capacity.

Eid was besides celebrated successful different parts of Winnipeg including astatine the RBC Convention Centre.

Namarel Kane was among those astatine Eid connected the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre. 

"It's bully to person these moments wherever everyone is conscionable each together, each the Muslim together," she said "It's truly bully to see. I privation we had that each day."

But she wishes determination were much celebrations held successful French, particularly successful St. Boniface, wherever there's a increasing colonisation of immigrants, including students who travel from Africa and mostly talk lone French. 

"We utilized to person it conscionable successful English and everyone would spell perceive the sermon … but wouldn't truly recognize it," she said. 

"Having it present successful French, it's a consciousness of belonging."

According to Statistics Canada, the proportionality of the country's colonisation who reported being Muslim has much than doubled successful 20 years, increasing from 2 per cent successful 2001 to 4.9 per cent successful 2021. 

Ould Moulaye said determination are aviator projects studying the anticipation of gathering a Francophone mosque successful St. Boniface. 

In the meantime, helium said the assemblage shouldn't instrumentality the accidental of coming unneurotic connected Eid and commune successful French arsenic thing for granted. 

"It took a batch of effort from pioneers who came present 60 years agone for america to beryllium capable to observe this supplication successful the bosom of Saint Boniface," helium said.