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.

Don't most celebrations and feast days predate the religion they're now attached to?
What they all have in common is coming together to eat and celebrate, maybe let off some fireworks or exchange gifts. None are about exclusion.

I don't think it's the same as Christmas as not many people I know go to church at all over
Christmas so it can hardly be classed as a religious holiday anymore

Because your experiences are, of course, exactly the same as everyone else's experiences...

@DearSergio it's not that I'm saying if you've been invited you shouldn't go. I was simply asking if non Muslims felt strange taking part in the celebration aspect of Eid without having done Ramadan. I work with lots of Muslims and I see the struggle of fasting, if I just rocked up and ate loads of food I would feel a bit 'unworthy' (for lack of a better word.)
I feel that no one is really understanding or willing to understand what I'm asking, and it was a question not a defiant statement. All I'm asking is are non Muslims right to celebrate Eid without fasting. I have come to my own conclusion that I believe this is different to pride or carnival as religion has a fundamental criteria of preaching and trying to convert. Therefore it is in the interest of most religions to be open and welcoming. This I believe is an example of that.
I still stick by my comments about Pride and Carnival as it has become just a party in my eyes, with little understanding of the deeper historical significance of these events. These were both created to give persecuted groups a way of celebrating who they were, in a time when no one wanted to be associated with the gay community or live in the Caribbean neighbourhood. Now you feel it's ok to crash it because it's cool? Jog on.

Our well attended village church is even more packed for the Christmas Eve Watchnight service - villagers come whether they’re Christian or not, as part of the community celebration and communal worship.
Ditto at Easter - it’s not unusual at all.

One thing I have noticed in recent years are (more often than not) young people who join in on celebrations/visit certain locations/show “support” for something or other, not because they actually know or understand anything about it, but more because they think it’ll make a great Instagram post.
Not exactly what you were getting at OP but I imagine along the same lines.
I’m sure the majority of the people you mentioned celebrating are doing for genuine reasons, but there are always those that aren’t.
As a previous post mentioned, straight people taking over gay pride and gay bars 🏳️‍🌈 for example 😡 (my own personal frustration)

I have come to my own conclusion that I believe this is different to pride or carnival as religion has a fundamental criteria of preaching and trying to convert. Therefore it is in the interest of most religions to be open and welcoming. This I believe is an example of that

That's like saying if you invited someone over to celebrate for Christmas dinner though that it's with an agenda of preaching.
People on the thread who are Muslims have said basically it's a time of all coming together and friends/family etc celebrating.
Just like if you were to invite someone over at Christmas who wasn't Christian, you want them to join in because it's a time of togetherness, not hidden preachiness!

@Phoebs47 exactly! If you haven't signed the petition I shared to condemn schools allowing parents to opt out of teaching about same sex relationships or speak out against gay 'conversion' therapy in the U.S how you gunna turn up at Pride with your feather boa?

In answer to your question- Are non Muslims right to celebrate Eid without fasting? In this case I believe yes. Maybe I've missed it but do you live in Bristol? The Grand Iftar was open to everybody - it is every year. Volunteers cooked the food across Bristol in homes, restaurants and community centres, it wasn't a case of white people rocking up and appropriating a celebration. Maybe I'm looking at it simplistically but isn't a good thing that the diverse community of Bristol does things like this? Bringing people together? And if the Muslim community open their celebration up to everybody, where's the problem?

religion has a fundamental criteria of preaching and trying to convert.

Well some religion. I have yet to be approached by Wiccans trying to tell me the real deal about Odin. Or Buddhists trying to sell Nirvana to me

To be honest, the only religion which seems to feel the need to actively convert people is Christianity.

If you haven't signed the petition I shared to condemn schools allowing parents to opt out of teaching about same sex relationships or speak out against gay 'conversion' therapy in the U.S how you gunna turn up at Pride with your feather boa?

That doesn't even begin to make sense. Surely the people who don't want to support teaching gay relationships or disapproved of them wouldn't set foot anywhere near Pride in the first place
Only people who were supportive and allies would.

And if the Muslim community open their celebration up to everybody, where's the problem?

Exactly, I bet people would still be moaning if they kept themselves to themselves and didn't try to integrate or be friendly!

@LimeKiwi I can't speak from a Muslim point of view but as a Methodist you are certainly hoping to bring people over to your way of seeing things. You put on an event such as a family fun day, bouncy castle, bbq etc hoping that those people who might not usually come to church come back again. You're hoping that it changes how they see church and Christianity and that you show them that it's changed since the 70's.

Yes, people celebrating each other’s festivals together, having fun and building human connections while eating fabulous food is just awful. It’s the last thing the world needs right now
I’ve been invited to, and celebrated, eid, Diwali (which involves, as far as the Hindus I know are concerned, huge amounts of Johnny Walker), Mardi Gras, Hanukkah, pride, and, erm, comic-con. I operate a broad church, and I bloody love a party. Incidentally, the best burn’s night party I ever went to was thrown by a Iranian friend of mine, then newly arrived in the UK. He serves us a haggis EACH. You’ve not really heard the poem ‘to a haggis’ until you’ve heard it read in a whiskey-soused, Farsi accent

Eid Mubarak!

My view is that if you go in the spirit of appreciating and understand other religions and cultures it’s all good. It’s important as part of a multi faith and multi cultural society.

You’re right that straight people shouldn’t co-opt Pride. But they can watch the parade and cheer and celebrate Pride month.

If you want to be invited I am sure that your local mosque would be happy to invite you and show you around and help you understand more about Eid. And if you feel you don’t deserve to attend without having joined in the fast then learn more about Ramadan and use it as a way to interact more with the Muslim community you live alongside.

Don’t second guess your desire to be inclusive. The world needs more open minds and open hearts.

which involves, as far as the Hindus I know are concerned, huge amounts of Johnny Walker

You should try a Sikh wedding ....

I would LOVE to try a Sikh wedding in all seriousness, the urge to celebrate together is so wonderful and unifying - we all do it, all over the world. It’s one of the few things we all have in common.

Talking of co-opting - I’m bisexual and i physically drag my straight friends to pride every year. It’s a celebration. I don’t feel like joining with something, when invited to do so by members of that group, is the same as taking it over.

@RhiWrites thank you, I have been to look around my local mosque as it's one of the most beautiful buildings in our city and I wanted to understand more.
I just didn't want to be a 'fair weather friend' of the Islam community. I'd happily attend the celebrations if I was invited.

I’d happily attend the celebrations if I was invited.

Maybe it’s just the Muslims I know but if you arrived at an eid celebration it’s likely you’d be hauled over the threshold with effusive cheer and fed until you burst

I second that about a Sikh wedding! I went to one and have never seen so much whiskey in one place. The food was amazing, too.

Sikhs also have an obligation to serve the poor. Most Gudwaras have a kitchen open to all (handy top for a world traveller ...)

Op, my muslim husbands thanks for the good laugh and wishes you all Eid Mubarak.
He would also like to know your opinion on mixed race/religion marriage. Since whatever view you are promoting here sounds like segregation (and well, that didn't work well in a past, did it) 🤷‍♀️ also. Am I allowed to celebrate Eid with him since my fat arse didn't fast? 😮 Do I need to Christen him before he can celebrate Christmas with me? Do we need to create new holidays for us?

My question is. Why "hippie mums"?

@TheAverageJuror you can stop trying to paint me as a racist right now. I studied race relations at university for three years. I am half British, half Chilean, my dad is indigenous American. Over here he is regularly called a 'paki' due to the lack of Latinos in the U.K. I was simply asking if we non Muslims are invited to the Eid celebrations or whether we've just invited ourselves (as British have throughout history.)

I lived in the Caribbean for a long time. Everyone celebrated each other's special days.
It was lovely. (All ah we is one!)

I think it's great. What better way to promote good relations between diverse commnities than by celebrating together?

We had a Muslim colleague for a couple of years. We really looked forward to Eid - he used to bring in loads of lovely food for us to share!

Surely if the muslim community turned your friend away that would be more of a storyFfs nobody can do right for doing wrong!