Muslim community celebrates Eid with weekend gathering

About 250 people came to an Eid service, which was held in a hall at Beau Sejour on Friday morning.

And then on Sunday afternoon about 60 members of the community gathered at Beau Sejour for food, socialising and games for the children.

‘This is our biggest festival,’ said Guernsey Islamic Charitable Trust chairman Abdul Sohail, 40.

‘It’s like Christmas for Christians.’

Traditionally it would be a time to travel home to spend time with family, but that is not always possible.

In Guernsey the aim was to bring together friends and family.

Mr Sohail said there was a wide variety of nationalities among the local Muslim community, including South African, Bangladeshi and Nigerian.

Mr Sohail is originally from Pakistan.

He first came to Guernsey in 2006, but then went on to spend 10 years in London.

He returned to the island at the start of this year and said the change on the community in that time had been marked.

He said in the past the local Muslim community had been quite small, with just 20 people at regular Friday prayers in 2006.

In 2008 the Guernsey Islamic Trust was set up, with the main purpose to help Muslims moving to the island.

In recent years the number of local Muslims has been growing, with about 80 people regularly now attending island prayers.

It has led to the trust recently taking out a year’s lease on a hall in Tower Hill, so they can have a base.

But that was not big enough for a big festival like Eid, leading to a hall at Beau Sejour being hired.

Belal Al Bonni, 35, is from Syria. He said the growth was likely due to there being a more established Muslim community and Guernsey’s welcoming nature.

‘They are feeling welcome and they are telling their friends,’ he said.

Ramadan involves fasting. Mr Sohail said he has taken part each year since he was 13, and he has become used to it.

‘People eating around me does not affect me,’ he said.

‘I find people are very considerate.’

Mr Al Bonni agreed that most people had not had a problem fasting.

‘Some employers offer packages during Ramadan, such as working hours,’ he said.

‘And respect that others might be fasting.

‘Awareness is becoming more widespread and some employees even offer a place to pray.’

It is estimated there about 500 Muslims in Guernsey.

Guernsey Islamic Charitable Trust helps to raise awareness, whether that is providing messages for Guernsey Press’ thought of the week column, or going into school to teach children about the five pillars of Islam.

Mr Sohail said the trust had also helped local Muslims settle in and provide information about a variety of matters, including where to get Halal meat.

Halal meat must be slaughtered in a certain way by a Muslim man.

Mr Sohail said they had not struggled to find Halal meat, with it being available to many local suppliers like Cimandis and Waitrose, who in turn also supply local restaurants.

Mr Sohail said the local Muslim community was very diverse and working in a number of industries, from accountancy to the hospitality sector.