Dearborn Heights cancels Eid al-Fitr celebration, citing ongoing Middle East air strikes

Ramadan is coming to an end, and it's typically marked with a big festival. However, this year, one Metro Detroit community opted to cancel its celebration. 

Religious leaders at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights say Eid al-Fitr is usually a joyful celebration.

"For the kids especially, games and candy and kissing and celebrating. And sharing happiness and joy, but this year, with what is going on, really, nobody is in a mood of saying 'happy,'" said Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom. 

Dearborn Heights planned to host the city's first-ever Eid al-Fitr event, but it was canceled earlier this week.

"The Eid Celebration was canceled because many Dearborn Heights residents have family in Lebanon who were either killed or displaced as a result of the continuous Israeli airstrikes, and the overall mood in the community is somber and not conducive to celebration," said a Dearborn Heights spokesperson. 

It's a sentiment that Elahi understands.

"They are under bombardment, especially in the cold weather, or winter weather, homeless and hungry, and women and children. We are going through a real tragedy," Elahi said.

That includes the imam's own family members.

"I have my family, brother and sister in Tehran; they are displaced," Elahi said.

Elahi calls the conflict in the Middle East a humanitarian crisis.

"We watch on TV is not a picnic or a video game or AI or action movie and anything like that. We are sadly watching a hell of hatred in the sense of death and destruction," Elahi said.

Elahi continues to call on President Trump to put a stop to the war.

"You promise us that you are going to end the endless war, but now you are starting new wars. So, we need a voice, a united voice of our nations to call for the White House to stop this war," Elahi said.

While the Eid al-Fitr celebration isn't moving forward in Dearborn Heights, at the Islamic House of Wisdom, Muslims still plan to meet on Friday to pray.

"We are going to have a prayer together, a congregation; we pray together, and we pray for peace, pray for justice, pray for truth, pray for the end of these wars," Elahi said.