About 400 Muslims were at the Saipan Baitus Salam Jame Masjid for the Eid ul Fitr celebrations, Monwar Hossam, president of the association, told Variety.
“We pray for the peace of the community,” Hossam said, adding that the Muslim community on Saipan comprising Bangladeshis, Indians, Chinese, Malaysians, Thai, Indonesians, Filipinos and Sri Lankans are united in the cause for peace.
During Ramadan, Muslims fasted from dawn until sunset.
Yesterday was the first day of the new Islamic month and was observed as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” or Eid ul-Fitr.
Hossam said they hope the CNMI government will considered their request for the allocation of a public lot that the Muslim community can use for a cemetery.
Rabby Syed, Saipan City Taxi Association president and an active member of the Muslim community, said they are still waiting for the CNMI government’s response.
“It is very important to us because it’s inconvenient and hard for the Muslim community to send back their dead love ones back to their countries of origin,” Syed said.
He said the local Muslim community is growing every year and “we need to have our own cemetery to give burial arrangements in accordance with the Muslim rituals and customs of our member who have passed away.”
