Members of City Heights’ Muslim community Wednesday did what they’ve done for decades to honor the annual Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Dressed in their best, prayer rugs in hand, they gathered at Colina Del Sol Park to pray.
Known as the Festival of Sacrifice, Eid Al-Adha recognizes the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as a sign of obedience, before God provided a ram in his place. It also marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken by Muslims worldwide.
“For us, it’s a celebration of our community, a celebration of worship, a celebration of remembering the prophet – his obedience. And (it’s a) celebration of humanity,” said Mahmudali Libanhidiq, Imam at Masjid Al-Ansar.
But this year, those who celebrated this holiday in San Diego carried a heavy grief. It’s been over a week since two teenagers shot and killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego. San Diego police and the FBI are investigating the shooting as a hate crime. The community is honoring and remembering the three victims as martyrs.
“This has been a very somber holiday, given the fact that the three pillars of our community we lost to hate and to violence and to anti-Muslim bigotry,” said Ismahan Abdullahi, a board member of the Huda Community Center. “But at the same time also, the communities out here they're celebrating it. It shows their strength and their resilience and that even in the face of tragedy the community is as strong as ever.”
Noor Abdi laments what he sees as unrelenting attacks on Muslims in the U.S.
“We have sacrificed a lot in this country,” said Abdi, who was part of the security team for the prayer services at the park. "There are constant attacks on our faith and us as a people for no other reason other than what we have decided to believe in.”
Abdullahi is hoping for tangible change following last week’s attack, which she calls an act of domestic terrorism.
“What does safety look like for us as a community? And are folks going to take anti-Muslim bigotry (and) Islamophobia seriously?” she asked. “At this moment, we really are hoping that folks take our pain seriously and do something.”
She’s also hoping for solidarity from the larger San Diego community.
“We have a verse in the Quran in which God says that he created us into different nations and tribes so that we may get to know one another,” Abdullahi said. “We're part of the human family, and we're hoping that folks are able to just kind of stand strong with the community in this tragic time.”
Colina Del Sol Park was one of several places throughout the county where the Muslim community gathered for prayer on Wednesday. Others included the San Diego Convention Center and Brengle Terrace Park.
