Daily Post Article (Eid: A faith in one city)

THE largest Islamic gathering Liverpool has ever seen marked the festival of Eid-ul-Adha in Sefton Park yesterday.

More than 1, 000 Muslims united in prayer inside a giant, white marquee - the first time in the city's history that the festival prayers have been held at a major public venue.

The event, which complemented similar gatherings in Liverpool's mosques, has been hailed as a landmark in the Faith in One City celebrations.

The meeting was organised by the Yemeni community.

Abdul Nasser Al-Joury, chairman of the Yemeni Community Association (YCA), said: "The Muslim community thought it would be a wonderful idea, in the council's year of Faith in One City, to hold our Eid prayers at Sefton Park for the first time.

"The gathering was a roaring success. The number of people who attended was just right so there wasn't a crowd problem and the police came to supervise. We hope to repeat the success of this public celebration for years to come."

Eid-ul-Adha is a major Islamic celebration and marks the day when Muslims make the pilgrimage to Makkah, the birthplace of the religion.

As the Festival of Sacrifice, it is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son for God.

Preparations for the celebrations began at Sefton Park on Saturday morning when the Muslim community teamed up with council parks officers to set up the giant marquee where the prayers took place.

As well as prayers, the festival included an afternoon of relaxation and social activities, including games for the children.

City council leader Mike Storey said the event would promote tolerance between all of Liverpool's diverse communities.

The YCA worked in partnership with the city council to organise the festival celebrations.

It also received sponsorship from Glendale Grounds Management, which maintains Sefton Park, and council highways partner Enterprise-Liverpool in setting up the marquee.

2004 is the year of Faith in One City, one of four themed years leading up to Liverpool's reign as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Feb 2 2004
By Laura Davis, Daily Post