Beneath the gleaming blue minaret of the new King Fahd Mosque that towers over Washington Boulevard in Culver City, more than 1,200 Muslims gathered Friday to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the joyful festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
At the morning Eid service, Muslim men in flowing robes and women wearing bright, colorful hijabs over their heads prostrated themselves in prayer under the mosque's grand dome. Eid al-Fitr is one of Islam's holiest days and breaks the monthlong period of fasting and self-restraint observed by all Muslims during Ramadan. After the service, friends laughed, embraced and exchanged good wishes for the coming year.
"This is the day Muslims rejoice because we have all fasted and prayed and we feel a sense of accomplishment. People get together. Children sometimes receive gifts. And of course, we eat. We consume so much food we gain back all the weight we lost during Ramadan," said Usman Madha, a community liaison for the King Fahd Mosque.
Ramzi Ben Youssef, who is originally from Tunisia, added, "Fasting [from sunrise to sunset] during Ramadan is more than just abstaining from food. It's about cleansing your soul."
The Culver City gathering at the King Fahd Mosque attracted Muslims from Los Angeles and Orange counties and reflected the immense diversity of Southern California's surging Muslim community. The assembly included immigrants from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Burma, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Algeria, India and a significant number of devout newcomers from the African regions of Ghana, Sudan and Somalia.
The lavish, $8.1-million marble mosque, which was funded completely by King Fahd and the Saudi Arabian royal family, has been open for four months and has already become a focal point for the more than 250,000 Muslims in Los Angeles County.
Like many other Muslims who attended Eid observances at the mosque, Siddiga Gurashi said that despite their different nationalities, they feel a spiritual connection at prayer.
"You come and you will hear hundreds of languages from across the world. And it's wonderful because even if we don't understand each other, there is one thing that ties us together: Islam," she said.
There are about 75 Islamic centers in Southern California, most in old bank buildings or government properties. Yet, there were only three true masjids, or mosques, in Los Angeles, that were built from scratch and designed with the grand domes and minarets that are characteristic of Islamic architecture. The King Fahd Mosque is the fourth structure.
