During Eid al-Adha prayers across the United States, devout Muslims used their sermons and khutbahs to call for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza. After prayers, special supplications were offered, seeking peace for Palestinians and Muslims around the world.
Bangladeshi expatriates across all 50 US states celebrated Eid al-Adha on Friday, June 6. However, in some areas—including parts of New York—there were variations, as certain mosque committees announced Eid celebrations for Saturday instead.
Muslim communities from various ethnic backgrounds across the US participated in Eid prayers. This year, over 3,000 Eid congregations were organized under the management of mosques and Islamic centers nationwide. In addition to open fields, many prayers were held in mosque premises and church auditoriums.
Over the past two decades, the number of mosques and Islamic educational institutions in the US has grown by 32 percent. In 2000, there were 1,209 mosques in the country. That number rose to 2,106 in 2011 and reached 2,796 according to the most recent 2020 census. Among them, New York has the highest number with 343 mosques, followed by California (304), Texas (224), Florida (157), New Jersey (141), and Illinois (109).
On Friday, Bangladeshi-run mosques, adjacent fields, parks, and church auditoriums across various states hosted Eid prayers. In areas without mosques, church auditoriums have long served as venues for Friday and Eid congregational prayers.
In nearly every prayer gathering, imams addressed the Israel-Gaza conflict in their khutbahs and prayed for peace in Palestine and for Muslims worldwide.
Bangladeshi Muslims organized Eid prayers at more than 200 mosques and adjoining fields across the US Prayers began at 8:00 a.m. and continued in intervals until 9:30 a.m. Local authorities implemented special security measures for the large gatherings.
The largest Eid congregation in New York took place at the Jamaica Muslim Center. Additionally, mosques and adjacent fields in other parts of Jamaica, Jackson Heights, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Ozone Park, Astoria, and Manhattan also hosted Eid prayers.
Elsewhere, large congregations were reported at mosques and Islamic centers across heavily Bangladeshi-populated states and cities, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, Washington, and Kentucky—along with over 150 open fields across the country.