Thousands attend mosque for Eid celebrations
BBCThousands of Muslims have attended one of the largest mosques in the Thames Valley to celebrate Eid.
The Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre (JMIC) in Slough, which can accommodate 2,000 worshippers at a time, expects about 10,000 people could attend by the end of Friday.
The festival marks the ends a month of fasting for Ramadan and is a time of togetherness, celebration and community for Muslims worldwide.
Shaista Khan, a trustee at the JMIC, said its preparations had taken weeks.
"It takes a good month to prepare because we have Ramadan before Eid. Our main work is crowd control and people coming in, ensuring we have volunteers who are trained, ensuring spaces are clean," she said.
Eid al-Fitr, which means "the festival of the breaking of the fast", begins when a new moon is sighted in the evening sky.
The celebration is a time of reflection and unity, where families and friends get together to share meals and exchange gifts.
Farkhanda Muneer, who attended the JMIC, said she would be travelling to East London later to celebrate with family and friends.
"It's so lovely because I bump into so many of my friends [at the JMIC].
"We're really celebrating – we're having lots of coffee because we have really missed our caffeine kick and it's a beautiful, sunny day."
She said: "[Eid and Ramadan are] not just about the food. It's also about having more time to do your prayers, taking away some of the distractions that may take up a lot of your time during a normal month.
"It's about thinking 'how can I carry that on?' And just celebrating that we have just been through such an amazing month and raising awareness around it."
