Eid in Cambridge: Muslim Community Celebrates Amid Conflict & Grief
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Minara, a new café and cultural center in Cambridge’s Huron Village, hosted a day of Eid celebrations on Saturday, blending traditional festivities with reflections on the ongoing conflicts impacting Muslim communities worldwide. The events, which included story time, craft circles, and a traditional Palestinian dance called dabke, drew families and individuals seeking connection, and community.
“My experience growing up Muslim in America has very much been defined by holding both grief and celebration, hand in hand,” said Jana Amin, 22, a co-founder of Minara, to attendees. “I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive.” Amin, a recent Harvard College graduate and food anthropologist, founded Minara with Ahlam Said, Abbas Rattani, and Yusuf Siddiquee, opening its doors in December 2025, according to reporting from GBH News.
The day began with an Eid story time, followed by activities geared towards children, including painting and knitting. Aya Oulal, 24, who organizes weekly craft circles at Minara, expressed excitement at seeing children engage with the space. The celebrations coincided with Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, and parents were encouraged to bring their children.
Amidst the festivities, attendees also participated in a letter-writing activity addressed to incarcerated Muslims. Iman Solomon, 77, a retired school teacher, wrote a letter, expressing his satisfaction at being part of an “intergenerational experience.” Solomon noted the energy of younger members of the Muslim community and their efforts to build something positive, particularly given the pressures faced by Muslims in the United States.
The celebrations at Minara occurred against a backdrop of global conflict, particularly in the Middle East. Several students at the Groton School, a boarding school west of Boston, were unable to celebrate Eid with family due to canceled flights amid escalating regional tensions, according to remarks shared at the event. Celene Ibrahim, a practicing Muslim and school chaplain at Groton, highlighted the maturity and compassion of her students, who acknowledged their own experiences while recognizing the greater suffering of others.
Ibrahim and her husband spent the days leading up to Eid preparing traditional Egyptian desserts, including atayef and kunafa. Though, she acknowledged the difficulty of celebrating while aware of food insecurity and famine in conflict zones like Palestine and Sudan. “It’s really hard to break fast knowing that people are starving,” she said.
Heba Moussa, 45, described Ramadan as a multigenerational experience for her family, with her parents visiting from Egypt and joining her and her four children for nightly meals. For Eid, her family planned to celebrate with prayer at Yusuf Mosque in Brookline and attend community parties.
Hajar Delshad, 46, a physician assistant in Brookline, noted that the start of the war had “dampened a lot of spirits” this Ramadan, as community members worried about family in harm’s way. She described the month as a time for peace and reflection, but one overshadowed by concerns for her brother-in-law and his family in Abu Dhabi, who have been affected by the conflict. “It’s challenging to try to center your thoughts and focus on worship,” she said.
Minara, inspired by Muslim traditions of gathering spaces for conversation, aims to provide a community hub outside of traditional venues like bars, according to co-founder Ahlam Said. The café’s opening was reported by GBH News in December 2025, and its mission is to foster depth and connectivity.