Non Muslims celebrating Eid al Fitr

[Madridinmymemories]

I live in a very diverse area. This year and last I've noticed a huge increase in my white hippie mum mates attending Eid al Fitr (end of the Eid fasting) celebrations. Down the road from us they get big tables out and shut the road off, it looks a great street party!
My issue is that we (Non Muslims) haven't partaken in Ramadan so why should we get to celebrate the feast bit? If we were really into celebrating every cultural occasion then wouldn't we do the fasting bit as well?

I can't think of an equivalent for another faith joining in on our festivities without doing the religious bit first. Most people eat Easter eggs without having given anything up for lent. Most people nowadays just enjoy the present and food bit of Christmas without thinking too much about Jesus being born.
Am I just being grumpy? I think if I was Muslim I would find non Muslims just joining in the feast bit kind of strange.

“joining in the fun bits” is surely an excellent way of promoting cohesion between communities. The “join inners” may not know or care about the wide issues affecting other communities, but they are likely ever to without easy access to those communities via festivals and fun stuff.

YABU. Gatekeeping helps nobody. The things I have celebrated, but am not part of the "culture/religion":

Diwali - not hindu/Sikh/Jain
Chinese New Year - not Chinese
Thanksgiving - not american
Eid - not Muslim
Burns Night - not Scottish
Pride - not LGBT
Christmas and Easter - not Christian
Winter/Summer Solstice - not pagan

Should I stop doing these things?

I work in Leicester - there is a lot of engagement in Eid by non Muslims, it's actively encouraged tbh. it is the nice thing about being in such a diverse city. We are equally encouraged to celebrate Diwali and other festivals too.

My Muslim colleagues bring in food for everyone to enjoy and I am happy to partake. Especially home made Samosas, I could live off those!

To be fair most of the Muslim communities throughout Ramadan spend time doing charity work for non Muslims, giving food to the homeless/shelters and also offer to break their fast with people in the street.
You can walk into a mosque in Ramadan at the opening of the fast and have a meal without being a Muslim.

Don't fret, get involved!

I think its lovely everyone of different Faith's joining together to celebrate one Faith's religion. Why not? My Muslim friend has xmas tree and does presents

When I worked for the cofe our local church used to host a Passover meal every year.

Well, I have no objection to people of all faiths — or indeed none — celebrating Easter or Christmas with me.

I like to think of my faith as an inclusive affair: everyone welcome to join in with the celebrations. I'm sure that many of our Muslim sisters and brothers probably feel the same.

I can't see the problem at all.

For the first time ever, I have found an opportunity to use one of the most annoying MN phrases ever - 'you're just jealous' (because you weren't invited).

I agree that it's up to the hosts whether they want to include people from outside their faith and that might vary between celebrations, even within the same religion - but probably more between the depth of religiosity of the particular people hosting.

I also agree that turning up for the feast when you haven't done the fast us less meaningful - and very bad for the waistline! I certainly feel the latter about Easter, when we do pancake day (as a fun tradition), don't do lent, then celebrate Easter (as a Spring festival) and eat lots of chocolate.

@JingsMahBucket I'm sorry that your point is being ignored. It's an important one.

I agree with pp that this 'soft approach', joining in with some fun parts, is exactly how cross-cultural understanding happens. (And how most of non-Christian Britain learns the little it knows about Christianity).

An interesting result of that, is the way it can alter the cultural status of particular festivals, in that the 'fun ones' that are easier for people to join in with, or happen at the same time of year as another festival or holiday, become the better known in wider society. I wonder if this can feed back to have any effect within the religion itself, in terms of relative prominence of festivals. e.g. Hannukah is often 'elevated' just because it's close to Christmas, Diwali because it's fun and the story seems nice and easy to understand. It's certainly true within Christianity, where Easter has more religious significance but everyone likes a birthday party - especially one with presents all round - so Christmas has been elevated, mostly by non-Christians.

some people might like the idea of living in a ghetto and banning everyone getting involved with their traditions , but it doesn't mean we all have to agree.

I wish I lived in a more diverse area. I'd absolutely love to go to Eid celebrations.

Islamaphobia is still rampant. I was trying to imagine how I would feel if people who didn't follow my faith, wanted to join in with the 'fun bit' of my faith/culture.

Maybe doing your second sentence is a great way of starting to address your first sentence.

I really cant get my head around what you are saying. We live near a beautiful Minster. I'm not remotely religious, but we go along to one of the Christmas services as it's a beautiful way to start the festivities. All visitors are made incredibly welcome - I sat next to the Mum of one of the vicars doing a reading and she was saying how lovely it was to see so many people at the service. The scenario you are presenting is exactly the same surely?

I reckon as long as people attend in good faith (pardon the pun) and the people who are actually celebrating the end of Ramadan are ok with them being there, then joining in is brilliant and just what’s needed.

I’m Jewish and would love to go. Anything that unites people and shows us we have more in common than things that make us different, is really positive.

British history which is filled with
I am fucking sick to the back teeth of reading and hearing this.
I am white, working class, British.
When all this "history" was going on, my ancestors were down the mines, or working 16 hour days in the fields as serfs, owned by the landlords. In times of war, the lucky sods were pressganged into the armed forces.
Down the paternal line, they were living five or six families to one tenement in east London; the men doing whatever work they could pick up and the women taking in washing, mending, whatever paid. When will we all wake up and realise it isn't down to race; every bloody nasty thing that has ever happened throughout world history is down to the ruling class; of whatever race.
Those with the money and power will do whatever it takes to hold on to that and, as they always have done, use us plebs to do it for them.
And your op is a perfect example of the "divide and rule" tactic which has been so successful for centuries.
I hope we can all be including, integrating and celebrating together.

I know it sounds amazing now but back when he was Mayor of London, one of Boris better moments was urging non-muslims to join in with Eid celebrations.

www.london.gov.uk/press-releases-5723

In other threads, there are people trying to define "Englishness" ... seems to me once peculiarity of the "English" is a deep suspicion of celebration especially when compared to our Celtic neighbours who seem happy to join any party anywhere ....

@Madridinmymemories same here. I’m sorry your main point is being ignored as well. :) To tell the truth, this tends to happen on MN when any subject of racism comes up. Posters don’t want to get deep into the critical thinking part of it and only want to stay surface level and want to be offended. It’s most likely because they’re uncomfortable and there’s a vast history of centering race discussions around white people’s level of discomfort.

If it starts getting too hairy, white people usually start attacking it and saying the person raising the issue is being overly sensitive or that it’s all in their head. It’s a form of subconscious gaslighting to keep the status quo. This is exactly what’s happening to you right now and it’s a way to shut down the conversation they’re uncomfortable having. They don’t want to acknowledge their culpability in the system or the history. If you’d like to have an offline discussion, PM me. :)

JingsMahBucket's point is about political struggle. That overlaps with but is not the same as religious celebration.

The essential point there and in response to the OP, is that it's up the hosts who they invite.

You're talking about people being invited and you being uncomfortable about that (your discomfort is therefore aimed at the hosts, for 'not doing their own religion right'. Hmm). Jing is talking about people not being invited but turning up anyway. Not the same thing.

Still, it is defintely bad and shocking when people eat hot cross buns on any day other then Good Friday.

@Madridinmymemories The post 2 entries above illustrates in a brute way what I’m talking about but most of the posts on here have been the kind of genteel polite racism nonwhites have become used to dealing with. Ignore, accuse, repeat.

JingsMahBucket
you do understand that not everybody agrees with you, don't you?

I wished Happy Eid to all my Muslim friends on Facebook & they know I'm not a Muslim but wished me the same back.
We also say happy Christmas to each other!

To tell the truth, this tends to happen on MN when any subject of racism comes up.

So white people being invited to join in Eid celebrations are racist? I've heard it all now. Write me a fucking book!

I didn't fast this year, I wasn't able to. Doesn't make me any less 'Muslim'. Didn't mean I didn't take part in Eid celebrations.

I literally can't think of anything better than non Muslims taking part in a celebration with their fellow humans. Fellow humans for which Eid does mean something. They're celebrating happiness, not the religion.

Complete non issue for me. So much so that I'm donating some food to a close friend (she loves Asian sweets etc), she isn't Muslim but she loves the celebrations, why wouldn't you share your joy with others if they're open minded enough to enjoy something that isn't typically 'their thing'??

Doesn’t bother me. My Muslim neighbours put up a Christmas tree and I just thought it was nice. I think participating in aspects of each other’s celebrations is a great way of building multi-faith understanding and tolerance, and also a sign of a healthy and thriving multicultural society.

I think you’re just looking for something to be outraged about. You should have a column in the guardian.

I’m an atheist and celebrate christmas so it would be no different if I also celebrated Eid.

Fair enough if Muslims don’t want non Muslims to share their festivals (although I think that would be pretty odd) but I don’t see any Muslims complaining.