Celebrating Eid al Fitr
Published Monday, April 22nd, 2024
Written by Hussain Haidari
| ACS celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Sunday evening, April 14, with more than 300 Afghans attending. The program included music, food, and games for adults and children. Nasreen Sajady, Advocacy Director of the Afghan Cultural Society said that they are trying to build a new community for Afghans in Minnesota under the pretext of the programs. She added that a smaller number of people are in contact with other Afghans here and are trying to use these programs to get to know each other. In the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, different groups of people, including men, women,youth, and families, participated. Wahid Bikzad, 53, who usually participates in various cultural programs in Minnesota, said that the event provides a good opportunity to get to know, see, and visit fellow countrymen. He added that, along with these programs, the Afghan Cultural Center should also work on the growth and capacity of Afghan immigrants in Minnesota. Wahid Bikzad emphasized: “We need to do good work, we need to grow, start our own business, Afghan culture should work on our capacity and skills.” He noted that the programs help our children and teenagers get to know their culture far from their homeland. Teaching culture and language to children is an important issue that many families attach great importance to. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Mohammad Hussain, another participant in this program, said that trying to preserve our culture and identity is very important. According to him, celebrating Eid and other important occasions will make the youth and children learn the culture of their homeland. Ruhollah Bizhan, who participated in this celebration, said that these programs are very important to reduce anxiety and create happiness in society. Rohullah added that along with these programs, attention should also be paid to the growth of the working and educational capacity of Afghans in Minnesota. According to him, currently, most people are looking for a better job. Currently, the Afghan Cultural Center focuses more on the basic needs of Afghans in Minnesota. Driver’s education program, application for government services including food program, health insurance, cash, and mental health. After the fall of the country to the Taliban in 2021, more than 100,000 people were evacuated to America. The presence of thousands of Afghan immigrants in America has caused various cultural programs to be organized in different states. Celebrating the New Year, Yalda Night, Eid al-Adha, and Eid al-Fitr are part of the programs of the Afghan Cultural Society in Minnesota held to preserve and honor Afghan culture. Compared to other states, the population of Afghans is still relatively small, but growing. According to official statistics, more than 1,500 Afghans live in MN. |
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Jill Biden Visits Minnesota
| First lady Jill Biden made a brief visit to Minnesota on Friday evening. She spoke at an Education Minnesota convention in Bloomington. According to MPRnews She’s visiting Minnesota on a multi-state trip that will continue through the weekend. After Friday’s event, she’ll head to Colorado and Tennessee for speaking appearances. Her last trip to Minnesota was in June, when she made a fundraising stop and visited the Twin Cities Pride festival, promoting the Biden administration’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights. President Joe Biden was last in Minnesota in January, when he visited Duluth to talk about infrastructure investments. |