Coloradans mark Ramadan's end

The call to prayer Sunday morning to close the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and begin the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr was answered by about 12,000 Denver area Muslims, their largest known communal prayer in state history. The Colorado Muslim Council and other organizers had projected attendance of 8,000 at the "Festival of the End of the Fast" and were stunned by the turnout at Denver's Crowne Plaza Hotel near Denver International Airport. "It's a joyful day for us. To see our sheer numbers here in Colorado adds to our joy," said Mohammad Noorzai of the Colorado Muslim Council.

The crowd's size was impressive given that the day of the event, either Sunday or Monday, could not be set until late Saturday night. By then it was known that a sighting had been made of the crescent moon of the next Islamic month, Shawwal. Ramadan's 30 days of prayer, daylight fasting and devotion had ended. Because crowds overflowed the massive hotel conference room and spilled into the halls, a second service was added that nearly filled a room all over again. "It's historical for us," said volunteer organizer Mohamad Muraweh. "It's the first time we have had all the different Muslim communities in one place." The faithful knelt and bowed in prayer in diagonal rows, facing east, upon prayer rugs or long strips of white paper. The women were in the back or the next room.

The imam said Allah would bless their Ramadan, one marked by effort, sacrifice and patience, on this "day of the great reward." "Your sins are forgiven," Imam Hamdi Basha told them. Many Muslims wore their finest traditional clothing from all corners of the Muslim world of more than 1 billion people. There were jeans and T-shirts too. "The kaleidoscope, the breadth of all the cultures, always impresses me," said council spokesman Taj Ashaheed.

Noorzai said the investigation and arrest of two local Muslims on Saturday night in connection with an alleged terrorism plot has not diminished the joy of this occasion for the greater Muslim community. "We celebrate like anybody else — with families and lots of food and sweets," he said. "People exchange gifts. Children usually get new clothes and money." The council hopes to do a community-wide Eid ul-Fitr next year in a park or other outdoor setting, Noorzai said. The lunar month of Ramadan will fall and end 10 days earlier in 2010.