An Abu-Dhabi based couple hosted more than 30 expatriates, including Filipinos, who were alone during the celebration of Eid Al Fitr.
Ayesha Yousef and Ahmed Assad said they wanted to show the expats how a traditional Emirati family celebrate the sacred event and to welcome them as a part of the UAE, reported Khaleej Times.
“They should be welcomed in and feel as a part of our community. We are all one family,” Yousef said.
“Also there are new Muslims who have just converted to Islam and feel isolated or have nowhere to go on Eid. So, we wanted to open our home to anyone who had nowhere to go, or who just wanted to experience Eid with a local family.”
Among those who attended the celebration were Filipino, Vietnamese, Australian, American, British, and Pakistani expats, who were invited through Facebook.
The expats were served breakfast of different Emirati dishes.
Yousef said many expats celebrate Eid Al Fitr alone and hosting celebrations could serve as an avenue to introduce the Emirati culture to the expats who are usually not able to interact with Emiratis.
“Several people live and work in the UAE for so many years but don’t get an opportunity to interact or mingle with Emiratis. They miss out on an amazing chance to get to know our culture,” Yousef said.
NOTE: The photo featured in the article was taken from Khaleej Times.
