Muslims pledge Palestinian solidarity in Detroit Eid al-Fitr gathering

Hundreds of Muslims observing Eid al-Fitr at the Islamic Center of Detroit on Wednesday prayed for victims of the Israel-Hamas war and rallied for Palestinians.

Moved by grief and solidarity, attendees performed the Salat al-Gha'ib, a funeral prayer for Muslims who die with no Muslims to pray for their dead, for Palestinians who died beneath the rubble of Israeli airstrikes and other military attacks on Gaza, Imam Imran Salha said.

Eid al-Fitr is a major religious holiday following the holy month of Ramadan, traditionally celebrated with family visits and feasts upon sightings of the new moon. The day took on a more somber tone for the gathered faithful as Israeli attacks continue against Hamas in Gaza with one brief cease-fire and no sure resolution in sight.

"We are teaching our children that we do not allow for these events to go unnoticed, and we do not allow these events to go without us doing something about it," Salha said at the rally. "Even on the day of Eid, we will remember our brothers and sisters, and on every single day until we witness the final day of Eid, which is the day of liberation for the people of Palestine."

In the months since Israel's offensive in response to the deadly Hamas attack on Oct. 7, more than 33,000 Palestinians, many of whom are Muslim, have died. The figure is according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel officials say they have killed about 12,000 militants without providing evidence.

Israel launched the war in response to Hamas’ cross-border assault in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

More than half the territory's 2.3 million people are now sheltering in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza strip. The United Nations estimates more than 1 million people in Gaza are now on the brink of starvation.

After months of supporting the war against Hamas, the White House has ramped up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and has taken a sterner line that has rattled the countries’ decades-old alliance and deepened Israel's international isolation over the war. Israel and Hamas are holding talks meant to bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages, although the sides still disagree on key terms of a deal.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress Tuesday that U.S. pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but he said more must be done and it remains to be seen if the improvement will continue.

In a call last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden, who has faced protest votes in Michigan and other states over his support of Israel, hinged future U.S. support for Israel in the war on protections for civilians and aid workers.

More:The Democratic protest vote movement over the Israel-Hamas war spreads from Michigan to other states

The Imams Council of Michigan encouraged Islamic centers across the state to cancel public celebrations for the April 10 religious holiday out of awareness for victims of "the ongoing genocide unfolding in Gaza." Ten Islamic centers in Metro Detroit subsequently canceled local festivities.

"There's a lot of pain," Salha said of Wednesday's gathering. "But we have chosen to utilize that pain in the creative channels of non-violence and into using our voice and into educating."

Many attendees wore keffiyehs and stoles bearing the Palestinian flag on top of traditional clothes worn to attend the service and celebrate Eid.

Wearing keffiyehs in solidarity felt like the most logical way to move through the grief surrounding Eid this year, Detroit residents Ramis Wadood and Michelle Lee said.

Showing visible support for Palestine, as non-Palestinians, felt important to Lee, the 29-year-old said, adding that the Palestinian people have been on her mind constantly in recent months.

"It's hard to feel happy and joyous today," said Wadood, 29.

Community leaders decided to focus on Palestinians in Wednesday's services at the Islamic Center of Detroit as a matter of principle, Salha said, citing concerns for Israel's handling of the war and religious solidarity with Muslims around the world.

Humanitarian concerns aside, the death toll in Gaza has also deeply affected Palestinians in Metro Detroit, including himself, he said.

Israeli Defense Forces fatally shot Salha's relative in the West Bank in November while she was in the car with her husband and son, Salha said.

"I have people in the mosque that — they lost over 20, 30, 40, 50 people, the worst over 100," he said of Metro Detroit Palestinians whose relatives were killed in the war. "Some families have been completely wiped off the civil registry. Interestingly enough, some of these people are shy to have funeral services at the mosque because of the intimidation against Muslims right now."

The Michigan chapter for Council on American-Islamic Relations announced last week that reported anti-Muslim incidents have jumped since Oct. 7.

Salha joined local leaders in denouncing viral videos of "Death to America" chants in the city, which he said he believes may have been the work of counter protestors planted in the crowd. The Islamic faith falls for Muslims to be productive members of society, and chants like that only endanger local Muslims facing Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate in the war's wake, he said.

Metro Detroit community events throughout Ramadan, including Dearborn's Ramadan Suhoor Festival, were also canceled months ahead of time, with organizers citing the need for solidarity "in light of the ongoing genocide in Palestine."

Israel strongly denies that its assault amounts to genocidal acts, saying it is acting in self defense. Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker told the United Nations' highest court in January it is Hamas militants who are guilty of genocide. Defense Secretary Austin this week told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. hasn’t seen any evidence of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.

More:Gaza war weighs heavily as Michigan Muslims prepare to mark Ramadan

While difficult, scaling back public events in Metro Detroit celebrating Eid and Ramadan felt like an appropriate measure, said Sameer Hamad, a 61-year-old Dearborn resident. Some people were still hosting intimate family gatherings to celebrate the day, but the holiday would simply not be the same this year while people in Gaza continue to die, he said.

"Of course they are in our thoughts, in our hearts, every time, every day, every minute," Hamad said. "We have to keep thinking about and pray for them, because what they are suffering right now is way, way, way beyond our imagination."

It felt good to join others in this year's prayers and celebration in an intentional way, said Reem Killawi, 21. One traditional teaching tells Muslims that they are connected by faith in one community, or ummah — that when one part of the body hurts, the whole body feels it, the Detroit resident said.

"It is hard to celebrate when we're still seeing images, and people are going through a genocide," Killawi said, referencing graphic Palestinian journalism documenting dead and injured Palestinians in Gaza. "Our faith teaches us that regardless, we have to honor the day, and even joy can be a form of resistance."

amunoz@detroitnews.com

The Associated Press contributed