By MEGAN SMITH

Staff Writer

The community, students, professors and their families gathered together Sunday in celebration, congratulations and a sense of community. The gathering was held at the Islamic Center of North Louisiana, located at 203 S. Homer St.

Eid-ul Adha is the holiday for the Islamic religion which coincides with the pilgrimage to Mecca, a trip that every Muslim is required to take, as described in the Five Pillars of Islam.

"This is one of the two most important celebrations in the Muslim calendar," Mesut Sahin, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, said.

Sahin said Eid-ul Adha is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world.

"This is a global event," Sahin said. "Two million people are making the pilgrimage to Mecca now."

The holiday celebrates events that date further back than Muhammad, the great Islamic prophet, Sahin said.

"We are commemorating some of the events of the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. This is similar to the Bible," Sahin said. "It is about the reward for obedience; Abraham demonstrated obedience to God."

Sahin said there is a similarity between Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

"Going back to what Abraham stands for is a common ground of all religions," Sahin said.

Naji Chammout, a member of the Ruston community, said the day was a very important one for the Islamic religion.

"On a day like today we have a special prayer that you can imitate Muhammad's life," Chammout said.

Chammout said children get new clothes because it is related to happiness.

During the celebration everyone congratulates each other, which Chammout said is a significant part of the festivities.

"This is a very important part of the celebration," Chammout said. "When you congratulate everyone you get a reward in the name of God."

Chammout also said a variety of food is served at the celebration.

"There is no standard dish for the holiday," Chammout said. "My wife prepared a Lebanese dish and other dishes were from Pakistan and Turkey."

Sahin said everyone is comfortable in the Ruston community and he would like to see more interaction among the religions.

"This is a very nice community, and people of religion understand each other," Sahin said. "We would like to build a great community between the three religions on this common ground."

Chammout agreed with Sahin's sentiments.

"Presence of Muslims in Tech and Grambling is a blessing," Chammout said. "This is a place to come together and practice religion, and we are comfortable here."

Although the Ruston Muslims are a small group, Sahin said they are open to everyone.

"We are a small Muslim community with a few dozen students and faculty," Sahin said. "The Masjeed is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week to everyone, and we would really like to exchange ideas and faith with everyone."

Sahin said he does not feel as though he is an outsider in this country.

"In the United States most of the six million Muslims who are here are first and second generation," Sahin said.

"At some point we do not see ourselves as foreigners; we do not feel as though we are outcasts or strange."