Naseem Maulid Amiri, Shakhaly Rashid Bizmana and Aneya Ramadhan Muya, students from St. Peter Claver High School in Dodoma, Tanzania show how Muslims fasted and celebrated Eid al-fitr.
St. Peter Claver High School being a Catholic & Jesuit school, students at this school are subjected to daily Eucharist celebration (holy mass) to build and strengthen their relationship with God. This also build a sense of unity and togetherness among students from different religions and denominations as a School Motto requires students to learn, build love and serve others.
The school has many students who belong to different religious backgrounds. Among of them are Muslims; 155 students at our school are Muslims and as it is worldwide known that on 14thMarch all Muslims worldwide started fasting for 30 days. The school administration gave us a privilege to fast as one of the ways of practicing our religious belief.
Eid al-fitr is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the long dawn to sunset fasting of Ramadhan. Fasting is the 4th among the five pillars of Muslims which the 9th months of the Islamic calendar marks the beginning of fasting for 30 days. Other pillars of Muslim’s are; Shahada (Testimony of Faith), Salah, Zakat, and Performing Hajj.
Eid is celebrated within two or three days, it’s a national holiday in different countries. In Egypt and Pakistan homes are decorated with lanterns, twinkling lights or flowers, special food are made and people are invited.
At our school, in the morning from 08:00 a.m we were given time to pray as how it is supposed to be done by all Muslims allover the world, we again thank the school administration for preparing us a place where we could pray and after that we went for breakfast. During breakfast the Headmaster Fr. Buberwa Karongo, SJ gave each Muslim a gift, everyone was thankful. Then, we went to rest for a while, during the lunch time all students had to join Muslims to have a special meal and after lunch we had time to chat with each other. Sports and games followed where the head of the school was also around the pitch. It was surely a marvelous day for the whole school.
On behalf of all Muslims at St. Peter Claver High School, we would like to pass our appreciations to the school administration for allowing us to fast for the 30 days and aiding us with all the needs we asked for from it, but it will be shameful and disgraceful if we will not pass our sincere gratitude to other students, teaching and non-teaching staffs who took care of us during Ramadhan till Eid. All we can say is that we thank them very much.
“MAY ALLAH GRANT OUR SCHOOL MORE BLESSINGS”
