TORONTO -- Nur Watad and her Palestinian family normally love celebrating the end of Ramadan, but this year, it 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 feel like Eid at all.鈥�
鈥淯sually before Eid, I鈥檇 be so excited -- preparing what I鈥檇 wear, making Eid cookies with my mom. We鈥檇 be doing so much,鈥� the London, Ont. woman told CTVNews.ca in a joint interview with her younger sister.
Eid al-Fitr is one of the holiest days of the year for Muslims, marking the end of a month of fasting, reflection and charity. People usually gather for huge dinners at their homes, mosques are filled to the brim, and gifts are exchanged in person.
But for the second year in a row, Muslims couldn鈥檛 do any of those things because of COVID-19 restrictions.
On top of that, many Muslims are heartbroken by the growing death toll from the escalating conflict in the Palestinian territories and Israel, which many say echoes the destruction and loss of life seen during the 50-day war in 2014.
Watad and her sister, Aden, were born and raised in Jerusalem before coming to Canada eight years ago and both still have family close to the Gaza-Israeli border.
鈥淚t has been really difficult to balance [Eid] celebrations because we aren鈥檛 able to celebrate when our Palestinian brothers and sisters are literally fearing for their lives,鈥� said Aden.
This Eid, they will be joining the growing number of people -- scarves commonly worn by Palestinians -- in order to show solidarity online.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just commemorating what's going on right now,鈥� said Watad. 鈥淚t's very, very disappointing to see that this is actually happening in our country and we can't do much about it over here in Canada.鈥�
This Eid and during Ramadan, donations to various fundraising campaigns, including those for families in or , were urged in the community, as well as among non-Muslims. Others are also advocating for action beyond that.
Sabrine Azraq, the founder of -- which calls on people to support and collaborate with Palestinian businesses and organizations -- said many Palestinians have a 鈥渧ery bittersweet feeling鈥� each Ramadan and Eid, as in , has .
So, this year, in solidarity with the families facing forced evictions from their homes in the in East Jerusalem, Azraq and her supporters are posting mock eviction notices in public spaces and windows, and on people鈥檚 doors in the Greater Toronto Area, Niagara, the Halton Region and in other cities, such as Edmonton and New York City.
鈥淭he goal really is to evoke some sort of emotion鈥� so that [the general public] can in some way attempt to at least try to put themselves in the shoes of these Palestinians,鈥� Azraq told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview, adding that the notices direct people to online resources to learn more.
'IT'S A STRUGGLE TO BE HONEST'
Others across the country said they鈥檙e still making an effort celebrate Eid on Thursday because it鈥檚 also important to have at least a brief time of solace, especially for young children.
鈥淚t's going to be a very tough one emotionally,鈥� Noor Al-Henedy, spokesperson for the Al Rashid Mosque in Edmonton said, calling the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories 鈥渧ery close to our hearts.鈥�
鈥淥ur faith always tells us to keep a strong belief that everything is under the will of God,鈥� she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. 鈥淪o on the ground, we're going to try to make it work the best we can.鈥�
Congregants at her mosque are handing out gift bags and balloons to children of families who arrive at the mosque in their cars. This follows a separate toy drive the mosque held earlier this week for families in need.
Many other mosques across the country are doing the same, such as the in Canada in Mississauga, Ont., which will be handing out gift bags, popcorn and candies to families at their drive-thru event. And like last year, organizers are also urging people to decorate their cars for the occasion.
A big part of the month of Ramadan involves doing acts of charity, so throughout the month, Canadian Muslims have banded together to hand out meals to families and shelters in need. Al-Henedy and fellow congregants in the Edmonton mosque handed out 10,000 meals alone.
鈥淲e are just hopeful,鈥� Al-Henedy said. 鈥淲e keep everybody in our prayers -- whether it's our families here, whether they鈥檙e people who are struggling in the hospitals, people who鈥檝e passed from COVID or people who are who are in this situation right now happening overseas.鈥�
Normally, her Edmonton mosque would expect up to 16,000 people to show up for Eid prayers. But that wasn鈥檛 the case for the second year in a row, as Alberta restrictions only allow 15 people in places of worship.
鈥淚t's a struggle, to be honest,鈥� she said, hoping that vaccination rates will climb and COVID-19 cases will drop enough so 鈥渞estrictions will be loosened and we can come together.鈥�
Last Ramadan, Mosquee Madani in Montreal was closed so Imam Imran Shariff, who led in-person morning Eid prayers, said this Eid is 鈥渂righter than last year.鈥�
He was grateful at least some of his congregants were able to come together indoors. 鈥淲e're almost to the end of the COVID and hopefully we won鈥檛 have to look back at the last two years anymore.鈥�
VIRTUAL IFTARS
There will be countless online gatherings and virtual iftars -- dinners to break a day-long fast -- as Muslim families stay indoors and connect with loved ones over Zoom or Skype.
The Canadian Muslim COVID-19 Task Force on how to celebrate Eid safely, noting that offering Eid prayers from home is perfectly acceptable.
The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) is encouraging people to attend their 鈥渋n 鈥渁n effort to unite the community and bring joy to families,鈥� organizers told CTVNews.ca.
鈥淲e are focused on bringing the community together in the safest way possible,鈥� the group鈥檚 executive director Sharaf Sharafeldin told CTVNews.ca.
For close to half a century, MAC has helped organize vibrant, in-person Eid festivals across Canada, so he said virtual celebrations are a way to carry on that tradition.
Mustafa Farooq, chief executive officer of Ottawa-based advocacy group National Council of Canadian Muslims, said this Eid many people will want to stand up and show 鈥渙ur hearts are with each other.鈥�
He urged Canadian Muslims reflect on their 鈥渟pirit of charity鈥� during Ramadan but also throughout the year as they organized food drives, personal protective equipment collections, and other fundraisers for people.
鈥淚 know that for many members of the community, it's going to be a continued move forward and try to make things better while also recognizing that these are tough times.鈥�
