Daughter has Reverted to Islam and wants to celebrate EID - Clueless please help

[Frenchy163]

She’s home from Uni and would like to celebrate EID, (we live in a really white area, the closest authentic restaurant is 40 miles away) I’ve done a google search and there’s so much choice I’m not sure where to begin.

Could anyone help me please, are there some strict No’s as to what I shouldn’t cook (I know about Pork) is there anything that absolutely signifies EID (apologies if that isn’t the right terminology) that I should absolutely make?

If anyone has a little meal plan to share that would be awesome please.

Thanks in advance

To most of us it doesn’t make sense, though. You can only revert to something you have previously been. And that doesn’t include any imaginary scenario, whether based on religious belief or not.

How about a really nice lamb tagine?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/moroccanlambtagine6696/amp

Lamb available here https://onlinemeatshop.com/collections/fresh-halal-meat-poultry/products/fresh-halal-british-baby-lamb-leg-html

This recipe is absolutely delicious.
Then do cous cous to go with it.

A really nice morrocan tomato salad https://salimaskitchen.com/classic-moroccan-tomato-salad/

Some olives, maybe halloumi done in the griddle pan.

Dates for iftar.
Then baklava or similar for pudding?

No pig meat items .
As another poster said be mindful of gelatine or products with meat seasoning .
For meat product go to a halal butcher ... lots of major supermarkets have a halal section for meat ... some with pre seasoned meats .

Freezer section for halal samosas / kebabs .

Lots of Instagram pages showing how to make south Asian rice dishes . But pre made naan breads are great .

Traditional in south Asian culture to eat milky vermicelli for breakfast ( called semiyah ) .

Or you could just make a roast and have samosas / kebabs as sides !!!

Surely the central point of every religion is the assumption that theirs is the right one tho? Our Vicar was clear at the christening that children who died before being christened went to Heaven. Even going to purgatory or hell for not believing implies that your basically a Christian who's lost their way

There will be a lot of young people 'reverting' (I prefer 'converting') to Islam in the next few years, I predict.

Think it's going to be attractive, new and different to many young white Brits.

Also, it's a great way to upset your parents. Particularly as goth/trans etc no longer have the same impact.

So much islamophobia on this thread! Revert is the word Muslims use, obviously others will use the word convert. If you don’t have a halal butchers near you, try doing an online shop at Morrisons as they often have halal meat and products direct from their warehouse. I suspect she will probably spend Eid with her new Muslim friends though if they know she has no Muslims to spend it with.

From my POV, I saw the OP as being in the same vein as 'My DD has recently converted to Christianity and would like to celebrate Easter...'

The conversion is religious, so a lamb roast, simnel cake and an easter egg wouldn't quite cut it.
Religion-wise Eid and Christmas are not the same, in that Christmas is more of a commercial event.

If she likes the takeaway food from places near her uni ask her what they are called. You can then look online at their menus and attempt home made versions. Ask her which dishes she likes best.

Can you just get a Sainsbury's delivery? Type "Eid" into sainsburys website and they have a whole list of ideas.

My SIL cooks biryani on Eid, it’s delicious

I'm not sure there is such a thing as "EID food"?

My Yemini friend will usually send photo's of her family Eid celebrations, there's often burgers/sliders, Cadbury mini rolls and all sorts of things. Usually just a buffet table of nice things they enjoy.,

Unlike Christmas being taken over by supermarkets I think it's more the celebration with family & friends, rather than "you must eat a salmon mouse and a salted caramel Christmas pudding".

I th8nk have a conversation with your daughter about what she'd like to eat and go from there. We can all suggest dishes but she might not fancy any of it. Again there's no requirement to eat samosas and kebabs just because she's a Muslim. She might not like spicy foods and would prefer fish and chips! Again that's perfectly acceptable, have a chat with her to find out her preferences.

Just because you dont believe in a God/god doesnt mean you cannot be courteous to others who do

Respect, maybe?

Others have mentioned Saffron Alley above. You can do an online order for halal meat. I think the idea from someone to look at the menus of her favourite takeaways from her university town is a good idea. You can then try to recreate them at home.

Your love and acceptance is what she will cherish the most OP. So many reverts just don't get that from their families and choosing Islam can be a very isolating experience for some.

I’d order some dates and Eid sweets online like baklava etc. You should be able to order pretty packs specifically for Eid. Then if you can buy halal meat and she’s willing to eat from a non-halal kitchen you can cook pretty much anything without pork products or alcohol I think. If no halal meat then just get lovely fresh veggies. She will know what to cook - she will have learned exactly what she can eat and not.

If she wants to celebrate in her religion then she must take the lead and sort it all out.

Muslims believe everyone is born Muslim and therefore anyone who practises Islam later in life is reverting rather than converting.

On its face, yes. But the term has a specific theological meaning in the context of Islam and so is used by people who have never followed Islam before.

That's not the case. Many religions, or should I say religious people, accept that there are multiple versions of the truth. Most people who hold the bible or Torah as holy texts don't believe every single word. They realise the scriptures were written at a particular point in time and therefore influenced by issues and society at the time.

Also, most religious texts were written in ancient languages, of which many don't correlate entirely with modern languages. There are often many ways to translate the same word and therefore variations come about in interpretation.

I stand by my view that staying all humans were born into islam is arrogant. It's blatantly not true and is isn't helpful when living in a multicultural place too.

Religion works best when people respect each other and respect that all believes are acceptable. Acting like Islam is the only truth is troublesome for me. And I wouldn't want my child to buy into that.

What a lovely mum you are @Frenchy163 ! 💓
I wish mine were the same sometimes.

i second the looking on Sainsbury’s but also remember a lot of foods are cultural rather than religious and it is totally reasonable to cook halal food which doesn’t come from the Middle East.

Why?
The Op wants to do a nice thing for her daughter what's so wrong with that?

Lots of sweeties and treats. Sharing food with friends and neighbours.

I used to live in the East End and have very fond memories of being almost force fed goodies at Eid.

The word implies we are all born Muslim and everyone who converts is 'reverting' to their natural state. It's a weird word to use if you're an atheist. I would never use it because I don't believe it!