Southall April 2023 \u2014 On Eid morning, the women\u2019s section at Abu Bakr Mosque in Southall filled quickly. Prayer mats lined the floor, the smell of attar mixed with fresh henna, and chatter in Punjabi and Urdu echoed softly as women adjusted their dupattas and guided children to sit beside them.<\/p>\n
For many Pakistani women in Southall, attending Eid prayers has become more than a ritual \u2014 it is now part of their identity in Britain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never went for Eid salah in Lahore,\u201d said Farah, a 35-year-old mother of three. \u201cYahan Southall main, meri betiyan raat ko hi kapray nikal kar rakh leti hain. They wake me up before Fajr, saying, \u2018Ammi jaldi karo, masjid jaana hai.\u2019 This is their excitement. For me, it feels ajeeb but beautiful \u2014 something I never experienced in Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharing Food, Sweets, and Stories<\/p>\n
After the prayers ended, women embraced one another with Eid Mubarak, henna-stained hands raised in dua. Plastic tubs of homemade food appeared, passed from one hand to another.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made seviyan and pakoray last night,\u201d laughed Ayesha, who came with her teenage niece. \u201cMere husband ne kaha kyun le kar ja rahi ho, but I told him, \u2018Yehi toh Southall ki Eid hai \u2014 sab share karte hain.\u2019 Eating together here makes me remember my nani\u2019s house back in Faisalabad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samina, balancing her shopping bag with her daughter clinging to her dupatta, said she stopped at the mosque before rushing for last-minute groceries. \u201cAbhi fresh chicken le kar jaungi. Masjid ke bagal se hi shops khulti hain, sab auratein pehle dua karti hain phir shopping. It\u2019s like a routine here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Passing Faith to the Next Generation<\/p>\n
For many younger mothers, the emphasis was on teaching children. Mariam, originally from Faisalabad, explained: \u201cAt home, Eid ka matlab hai gifts aur khaana. But I bring my son and daughter here so they see it starts with salah. They play, they eat, but they must know the asal cheez is prayer. Otherwise, Eid ka maza adhoora hai.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her daughter interrupted shyly, tugging at her sleeve: \u201cAmmi, mithai kab milegi?\u201d prompting laughter from the group.<\/p>\n
Elder women shared their reflections too. Shabana, in her sixties, recalled: \u201cMultan main, hamare ilaqay mein, auratein Eid salah nahi jaati thin. Here, jab main apni betiyon aur potiyan ko saath le kar aati hoon, dil ko sukoon milta hai. Yeh nayi generation ziada strong hogi apni faith mein.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eid Spirit in Southall<\/p>\n
Outside Abu Bakr Mosque, the pavements were alive. Children clutched balloons, women posed for quick photos on their phones, and greetings flowed freely. Nearby sweet shops had boxes of jalebi and gulab jamun stacked to the ceiling, with women queuing to buy mithai before heading home.<\/p>\n
\u201cEid yahan alag hai,\u201d said Naima, a university student. \u201cIn Pakistan, I would just follow my parents. Yahan, I decide myself to come for salah. It gives me confidence. Southall ki Eid ka apna hi maza hai.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spirit of togetherness stretched beyond prayer. Donation boxes for Pakistan flood relief were placed at the mosque entrance. Women quietly slipped in notes and coins. \u201cEid khushi ka din hai,\u201d said Samina softly, \u201cbut hamain un logon ko bhi yaad rakhna chahiye jo mushkil mein hain.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Celebration of Faith and Belonging<\/p>\n
By mid-morning, as the crowd began to thin, women hugged one another one last time before heading home. \u201cSouthall is our apna Pakistan,\u201d Farah said as she gathered her daughters. \u201cHere, when we pray and celebrate together, it feels like Lahore, Karachi, and Multan have all come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Southall April 2023 \u2014 On Eid morning, the women\u2019s section at Abu Bakr Mosque in Southall filled quickly. Prayer mats lined the floor, the smell of attar mixed with fresh henna, and chatter in Punjabi and Urdu echoed softly as women adjusted their dupattas and guided children to sit beside them. For many Pakistani women …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sci-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56753"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56762,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56753\/revisions\/56762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehqiqnama.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}