What is an “American Eid?”

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By Fareeha Molvi

(This post was originally published on Instagram on July 19, 2021)

Is it just me or is Eid-al-Adha, which begins tonight, the Muslim holiday that sort of sneaks up on you? Compared to the Eid that concludes Ramadan, the second Eid of the Islamic calendar is decidedly less glittery and much less anticipated, at least here in the U.S.

Eid-al-Adha means Festival of Sacrifice and commemorates the story of Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice (a version of which is found in both Christian and Jewish traditions) and coincides with Hajj, the mass Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that happens once a year. While the U.S. has seen growing public awareness around Ramadan and its grand finale Eid-ul-Fitr in recent years, Eid-al-Adha is still celebrated relatively quietly, by comparison. Many American Muslims still opt to go to work or school on this Eid. There’s usually not as many parties or social events on this Eid. Compounding that, this year Eid-al-Adha falls on a weekday, and…it’s still a pandemic.

If you’re at a loss at how to conjure the holiday spirit for this mid-week Eid, you’ll relate to “American Eid,” a short film by writer/director Aqsa Altaf, available now on Disney+. The film tells the story of 9-year-old Ameena, who has just immigrated with her family from Pakistan. Her first American Eid is disappointing compared to the colorful festivities back home with her family and friends. Her parents have to rush to work, while Ameena and her sister trudge to school. No one at school knows or acknowledges Eid. Heartbreakingly told, Altaf draws on her own experiences as an immigrant. “I didn’t have a family or a community here. Every [Eid], would feel so lonely in a place I called ‘home,’” Altaf wrote in an Instagram post. Like any diasporic person knows, Ameena quickly realizes if she wants to celebrate Eid in America, you have to make it your own.

What does an “American Eid” look like to you?