RENO, Nevada (Press Release): In a remarkable interfaith gesture, Muslims welcomed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed to their “Eid al-Fitr" celebrations in Sparks (Nevada, USA). Speaking on the occasion at Northern Nevada Muslim Community (NNMC) Center, Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue would bring us mutual enrichment, he added. Zed expressed warmest greetings on the Eid festival wishing that it brought joy, happiness and cheer to all the Muslims. American Muslims of Bangladeshi, Syrian, Somalian, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Jordanian, India, Moroccan, Egyptian, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian, etc., origins reportedly came to “Eid al-Fitr" celebrations in their ethnic best dresses to a sumptuous dinner which included various chicken and other meat dishes, biryani and various other rice formations, vegetables and lentils, sweet vermicelli, kheer, puddings, etc., to name a few. Prayers from Quran (the scripture of Islam) were read and NNMC President Dr. Sherif A. Elfass listed various projects and achievements of NNMC and distributed the awards. Sparks Mayor Geno R. Martini, Sparks Police Chief Steve Keefer, Imam Abdelwahed Awad, Temple Beth Or Reno Rabbi ElizaBeth W. Beyer, Muslim student leader of University of Nevada-Reno Sumayya Beekun, also spoke. A temporary children's playground containing inflatable bounce houses and slides was created for the occasion. According to an estimate, there are about 2,000 Muslim families in northern Nevada of about two dozen national origins, with Bangladesh having the highest numbers as compared to other countries. NNMC was launched in 1980. “Eid al-Fitr" is celebrated on the breaking of the fast of Ramadan, the blessed ninth month of the Islamic year. Islam is the second most widespread religion in the world after Christianity with more than one billion followers and Muslims constitute majority in about 48 countries and a considerable minority in many others. It is the third largest religion in USA. Word “Islam" means “submission/peace". Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about a billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
