'It's Been Amazing'; Bay Area Muslims Celebrate Ramadan Together For First Time Since Pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Members of the Islamic Center of San Francisco arrived Saturday for afternoon prayers halfway into the holy month of Ramadan, grateful for recent gatherings at the mosque to celebrate together for the first time in large groups since the pandemic.

"We're back to kind of normal, we're starting to see the community heal, said Zuhaib Siddique. "We're seeing people who maybe didn't have a place to go."

It's a rare occurrence this year as Ramadan takes place at the same time as Easter and Passover, all overlapping on one weekend. Siddique says it's wonderful to see different communities of faith able to enjoy their religious gatherings without COVID-19 restrictions at the same time.

"It's been amazing, it's been great, because two, three years ago, my friends weren't able to come, I wasn't able to come," said Ismail Piperdi, 15, a high school student. "And now coming and seeing my friends, it's pretty good, it's great."

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to reflect and get closer to their religion. They fast from sun-up to sundown and often have meals together at night. Last year those events had to be cancelled and in 2020, the mosque was closed even for prayers.

"A lot of people needed to be together, united, praying together, it's really different at home because you're by yourself," said Ameen Shaikh, a 20-year-old college student. "They spend time together, they have work and school throughout the day but then at night they come here."

Traditions during Ramadan include understanding the struggle of others as well as honoring the holy book, the Quran. Over the course of the month, members of the mosque will take turns reading the entire book from start to finish.

"Not just to be hungry, but it is so that we can feel what others throughout the world feel that are hungry," Piperdi told KPIX 5.

Last November someone threw a bottle at one of the windows of the mosque, shattering the glass. People in the Bernal Heights community and beyond reached out to help the mosque including providing donations to help pay for the repair.

"The outpouring of support from the neighbors was something we never expected," said Siddique, who is on the mosque's board of directors.

The oldest mosque in the city, the Islamic Center of San Francisco began serving Muslims in town in the 1950's and continues to be an important pillar for members.

A community dinner on Friday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. will be open to all and with hopes to continue making more connections with residents outside the faith.

"We just kind of go on our normal day, part of fasting is not to try to do anything special," he told KPIX 5 on Saturday. "We work just like everybody else, we may start our day a little bit early, we still go into our office, we still work, we take care of our kids, we shop, just like everyone else."