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Valley Muslims to begin Ramadan celebration
William Hermann
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 11, 2007 03:38 PM

As about 1 billion Muslims worldwide begin celebrating the beginning of the month of Ramadan, a group of Valley converts to Islam Wednesday night will ascend South Mountain for their own observance of this holy time.

Tempe resident Jacqueline Freeman-Ennaffah, a spokeswoman for an organization of converts to Islam called Valley Converts, said the group will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Buena Vista Lookout in South Mountain Park.

“We’ll watch for the crescent of the new moon, which starts Ramadan,” Freeman-Ennaffah said. “We’ll talk about what Ramadan means to us personally.”

She said Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from the break of dawn to sunset. The fast is performed to learn discipline, self-restraint and generosity, while obeying God’s commandments, Freeman-Ennaffah said.

“When you fast, as you do during Ramadan, when you are hungry and thirsty, it’s easy to be grumpy,” she said. “But we try to control those feelings and have a kind word for people and not get into arguments. We want to talk about being kind and gentle in the face of difficult situations.”

Freeman-Ennaffah said that fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. The other pillars are the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca.

The end of Ramadan will be marked by communal prayers called Eid ul-Fitr, or Feast of the Fast-Breaking, on Oct. 13.

Freeman-Ennaffah said Muslim leaders locally estimate there are 100,000 Muslims in the Valley and some 7 million nationwide.

Other Valley Muslim organizations organizing events and activities during Ramadan include: The Cultural Cup Food Bank in Phoenix, (602) 266-8370; The Arizona Muslim Women’s Association, (480) 390-2338; The Muslim American Society, (480) 921-3733; the Council on American Islamic Relations, (602) 262-2247.