The cold morning of June 7 in Campbelltown, Australia, was met with over 600 Muslims gathering inside a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was Eid al-Adha, a holy Islamic holiday, and Church members had opened their meetinghouse doors with welcoming arms for their bundled-up neighbors to perform their prayer in the cultural hall.
“I am truly grateful that we were able to witness and feel of God’s love for His children this morning,” Macarthur Australia Stake President Lawrence Sasulu said about the experience.
Eid al-Adha is an annual festival in Islam honoring Abraham’s sacrifice and follows a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, called Hajj. The morning of Eid al-Adha starts with the Eid prayer and ends with a sermon from their local leader, or imam. The prayer can be performed in a mosque or in any open area.
In a Pacific Newsroom article, the Church offered use of the meetinghouse to the Muslim community and supported them in setting up the prayer.
“Eid al-Adha is a celebration of sacrifice, compassion and faith,” said Imam Ibrahim Khan, leader of the local mosque Campbelltown Masjid, according to the article. “And today, your kindness has reminded us of the values that connect all of us as human beings — love, respect and helping one another.”
Said President Sasulu about helping with the festival, “It was a beautiful experience and a testament of putting the gospel in action, not only to love God but also our neighbors.”
Imam Khan was grateful to the Church for being willing to host the event. “May God — who is known by many names — bless you all abundantly. May our friendship continue to grow stronger, and may our communities continue to live together in peace, understanding and respect.”
In a post on their Instagram page, the Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims said it was “a blessed morning of unity, takbeerat and joy with our beautiful community.”
