What are the biggest Christian and Jewish holidays of the year? Religiously speaking, Christmas and Hannukah are not the answer — rather, as observant Christians know, Easter has more significance for followers of Christ, and, as Jews know, Hannukah pales besides Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashonah.

Maybe it's a coincidence, but the same phenomenon happens in American Islam. According to accounts from the Prophet Mohammad, Eid ul-Adha — which was celebrated by most American Muslims late last year on December 19 — is meant to be the "Big Eid." This holiday commemorates how Abraham was asked to, but did not have to, sacrifice his son Ishmael, and also celebrates the end of the yearly pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca.

I won't bore you with the World-Religions-101 details on the holiday, but point is that this Eid, in fact, is often much more difficult for American Muslims to "get into." The other Eid, Eid al-Fitr (or the "small Eid") comes at the end of Ramadan, after a month of fasting. Somehow its easy to feel celebratory after a month of deprivation, while it takes some real dedication to make Eid ul-Adha special.

Luckily, this year, American Muslim powerhouse Asma Mobin-Uddin — doctor, mother, author, columnist, and head of Ohio's largest Muslim advocacy group — has supplied American Muslim parents with a sorely needed resource: a high quality children's book about Eid ul-Adha.

In the story, The Best Eid Ever, beautifully illustrated by Laura Jacobsen, young Aneesa (an American Muslim of South Asian heritage) starts off her Eid looking a little sad — her parents are far away in Saudi Arabia, performing the Hajj. She will celebrate alone with her grandmother, who cheers her with gifts of new clothes. At the mosque where she prays, Aneesa meets two other little girls who turn out to be refugees. When she realizes these girls are too poor to even receive Eid gifts, she secretly gives them her own gifts.

I gave this book a test drive with her 4- and 5-year-old sons. She was a bit wary, because the two usually favor books that include dinosaur, astronaut or mutated-turtle protagonists. Amazingly, however, my oldest boys found the story quite compelling and asked to read the book several times, even though it was about a girl.

I asked Mobin-Uddin to answer a few questions about her book and the difficulties of generating the festive spirit for Eid ul-Adha. Mobin-Uddin — who authored the Paterson Prize-winning children's book My Name is Bilal in 2005 — kindly took time out of what is surely one of the busiest schedules around to share her thoughts on the holiday.

You're a professional, a mother, and in charge of a state-wide advocacy organization. Why write children's literature?

Mobin-Uddin: I initially started writing children's literature to fill a need in the larger community for books about Muslim-American kids. I continued to write to fill a need in myself to share this experience.

Children's books have always been important ways that kids have learned about others. Books can help children connect with other cultures on a human level, bypassing the walls of mistrust, anger, and ignorance we see around us in the adult world. Educating children about other cultures early in life lays the groundwork for a lifetime of acceptance, respect, and understanding.

So I had two main reasons for starting to write books for children. I wanted to introduce accurate books about the Muslim-American experience to the general American community, and I wanted to write books that Muslim-American kids would see themselves in.

Why did you choose to set your story around Eid ul-Adha? What was the inspiration for the story? Can you also say what nationality the family is that receives the charity in the story? (They look Sudanese.)

Eid al-Adha is the largest holiday in the Muslim year, and I could not find any fiction books about this holiday available in libraries and bookstores. The month of Ramadan and the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which follows Ramadan, are more commonly written about. So I wanted to fill this need.

Children, regardless of faith tradition or cultural background, can appreciate the themes in the story such as the difficulty of celebrating a holiday without a parent or loved one and realizing that the spirit of giving and sharing is what ultimately brings meaning to holiday celebrations. I wanted to inspire and empower kids to know that, even if they are not grown-up and do not have a job, they can still help someone in need.

In Columbus, Ohio where I live, there are more than 45,000 refugees from Somalia. So because of my immediate experience, this was the nationality I had in mind when we discussed the illustrations for the story. But the illustrator lives in Arizona and would not have access to the same population. As the theme of the story is general and does not need the refugees to be from any particular country of origin, many ways of illustrating the refugee family would have worked. I did not intend for them to necessarily be recognizable from a particular country.

Eid al-Adha, in religious terms, is supposed to be the biggest religious holiday of the year for Muslims. In the US, however, Eid al-Fitr is often a "bigger deal." Why is this? Is it a problem that Eid al-Adha is somewhat neglected?

The religious practices that lead up to these two holidays have a different immediacy for Muslims in America. Eid al-Fitr follows the month of fasting in Ramadan, Eid al-Adha occurs toward the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.

For Muslims who are fasting in Ramadan, the rigors of the fast are very real and very personal. People deny themselves and work hard to observe this period of abstinence and spirituality. As a result, there is a sense of personal accomplishment after the month, and the celebration that follows feels like a reward for the commitment and self-denial they chose to engage in during Ramadan.

However, in some ways, the celebration, sacrifice and spirituality that is happening leading up to Eid al-Adha is most real for those who are actually on the Hajj pilgrimage themselves or who perhaps have loved ones there. The rest of the people may feel more of a distance between themselves and the celebration. In short, the sacrifice leading up to the holiday for many is not as personal, so the reward of the holiday may not seem as sweet or appreciated.

I don't think it is a problem that this happens in the US, I think it is a natural result of the situation I described above. I also think that as Muslims in America know that Eid al-Adha is a bigger holiday according to the religion, they have the challenge of making its observance and lessons as important in their own lives as they do with the observance of Ramadan. They can approach this by making a personal commitment to reflecting on the teachings and blessings in the 10 sacred days before and during the Hajj.

What do you like and dislike about media coverage of Muslim holidays, and this one in particular?

Some years ago, I felt that the vast majority of the coverage of Eid al-Adha and the Hajj pilgrimage was irrelevant and sensationalized. One would not understand what people actually did on the pilgrimage and instead read sensationalized explanations of Hajj rituals or about small, isolated groups of pilgrims who were protesting something.

Now I think the coverage has improved greatly. There seems to be much more focus on understanding the pilgrimage instead of sensationalizing it. For instance, last year our local paper tried to have weblogs sent from local pilgrims during the Hajj. It didn't work well because of the lack of internet access in the desert locations, but it was obvious that the newspaper was trying very hard to contribute to understanding.

Clarification of some aspects of the Hajj and Eid al-Adha which are sometimes misunderstood can be found in my recent column in the Columbus Dispatch.

How do you celebrate Eid al-Adha with your family? Do you find it hard to create a festive atmosphere?

We go as a family to prayers at the mosque in the morning. Then we visit friends in the community at the Eid open houses they hold in their homes. Often we will have planned a kids' party or outing with some families that also have young children. In the past, we have gone to Chuck E. Cheese, Magic Mountain or other local children's play area. It is also common for us to attend community dinners at the mosque. We observe the Islamic tradition of distributing meat to the poor at this holiday (usually lamb or beef because of the story of the Prophet Abraham's test). We usually have this done by a relief agency which distributes the meat to needy families.

We have many ways as a family that we keep the atmosphere celebratory and festive. The kids are off from school. We all wear traditional, festive clothes, often from Pakistan. The kids receive toys and money as gifts, and they are allowed to eat as much candy, desserts, and sweets as they like during the open houses and parties! We also make a special effort as a family to be happy and positive with each other and try not to allow people to argue or be in a negative mood that day.

Thanks for sharing. I just bought two copies of "The Best Eid Ever" on Amazon -- one for my family, one for my sister's family.

i have a suggestion for those that enjoy this book ( i havent read it)
its always a nice idea to donate books to local libraries-
also, libraries would be happy in most places to showcase the book and holiday too-
if they dont want to do it themselves- or are busy- you could even offer to put up a small display and ask for space-

as far as media coverage, many christians i know are somewhat horrified by the idea of the sacrifice (notwithstanding the entire meat industry in america) and added to the initial culturally negative response- there is the added dimension that (in the bible) Jesus(ata) actually said that blood sacrfices were no longer necessary to appease the god- so there is that bit of antipathy too.

im an artist who used to do portraits and very animated animals etc-
but i put down the pens about 20 years ago and am still quite confused about the whole art restrcition of representational art in islam-

ive asked and asked and thunk and thunk-
now, personally ive come up with the idea that dolls, childrens books, education tools etc-
are not likely to become objects of idol worship-

ive never found any muslims who seem to have any idea about this
(well- except for the 2 hadeeth that are the only response period)(and i have looked and looked- i even cornered yusuf islam at isna once for awhile and he didnt have a clue either- though hes quite knowledgeable about the music theory part)

i dont know why this is, but i am always very dissatisfied with the childrens artwork i see in muslim book stores-

im itching to get a go ahead- (well, not that impatient, after all its been 20 years ive waited and wont accept an answer because it aligns with my desires)

im just throwing this out there maybe someone knows someone who knows or something-

but id just love to do childrens illustrations-

please, no directing me to calligraphy, geometric art etc-
yes, theyre quite beautiful yes i appreciate them-

i just dont want to do them- im pretty organic and i just vibe to representational expression-


a bit off topic, but i keep asking when i get an in-
peace

I thought alot about the "meaning" of Eid Al Adha this year as I was trying to find an appropriate book for my 4 year old son"s preschool class about the holiday. While reading one of the books we have at hom about Eid al Adha to my 9 and 4 year old, his questions made me realize what a scary concept it is for a 4 year old that Allah would ask a parent to sacrifice his child. I found myself thinking that this might make non-Muslims queasy as well.

your story reminded me of my friends 3 year old who used to visit me-(with his mom of course)
i had a small chair with 2 beaniebaby lambs sitting in it-
when he came, he would run to the chair and yell, my baby lambs! my baby lambs!
i got him a bigger version to take home which he slept with-

his parents took him and his older brother(10) to the slaughterhouse in illinois where you actually witness the event-

he came to my house and sat on my lap for 1/2 hour describing in detail the experience.

in halting voice and tears-

his mom was surprised that he was upset and said he did cry at the slaughterhouse, but said that was natural reaction. (well, duh)

i thought it was a premature and uneccesary education for the little guy.

im an adult and a muslim, and the concept makes me a little queasy!

This reminds me of pigs.

In "Frontier House", a reality TV show by the PBS channel from some years back, three families go and live in the boondocks out in Idaho or Nebraska someplace. Where the producers try to recreate a 1850 rural lifestyle.

One of the families has a pig, whom they feed everyday and by the end of summer the pig has become huge. He/she/it is also incidentally the only pet the kids have. With winter approaching, the parents have to call the local butcher (i.e. TV crew) and have the pig slaughtered.

Its quite interesting to watch the poor kids who not only have to mourn the death of their best friend, but eat him for supper too.

Slaughterhouse practices are my reason for being a vegetarian. It is unfathomable to me that anyone would take children to one.

well, we all have to kill something to live though-
i worked in the fields with migrant farmworkers, 14 hour days- 115 degree heat- to go collapse in shanties (or tents one summer) with no electricity- heat (you need it at night) and bathrooms a half a block away- get up and do it again-

so humans definitely suffer to put food into our tummies.
i was a vegetarian for 5 years myself-

the slaughterhouses are specifically designed for eid- so the kids werent dragged through what youve probably seen-
but its enough-

i just think 3 is awful young for the lesson of where our food comes from-

i just read an article about genetically modified food, and how 25% of the bees in america cannot survive on it-

the disappearing bee colony syndrome-

but my friends came from algeria, not america.
here our food is surgically wahsed and presented packaged with pretty pictures on it that assure us of how happy, safe, and protected we are-

where they came from (and return yearly) they have much closer contact with their food sources.

in a way, i think its more honest- we get so removed we dont ever think about the backs of the workers who handpick our fruit- and sort and process it.

but they are there, spending their pay in the local company store and going home practically broke.
just subsisting while feeding us in the land of plenty

I did spend a year in Egypt in 1989, and Eid al-Adha or al-Eid al-Kabiir (the Big Eid) is (was) wonderful there. Sheep and goats were tethered outside of people's apartment buildings for days before the eid. And people would have murals on walls depicting boats and planes people used to travel to Makka. The Eid salaa would fill large city squares, and then we slaughtered the animal and fried the liver (yum!) for breakfast and then spend most of the rest of the morning delivering parts of the food to friends, relatives and the needy. And of course, on the government-run stations, there would be the Indian movies, which as my 12-yr old cousin explained, were good because "they have everything-martial arts, dancing, beautiful actors and actresses." (I understand now there is a much greater number of channels and Indian movies, so it is no longer a special Eid treat.)

I had seen my first animal slaughtered for eid al-adha when I was 6 years old, and although I was not traumatized (I think!), the aforementioned cousin was and did not eat sheep for a long time. I personally think there is wisdom in slaughtering and witnessing the slaughtering of the animal. I felt like you could actually seek the 'ruh' or life essence of the animal leave its body, which is of course what will happen to each of us humans. At any rate, our urban lifestlyes, especially in the U.S. where even funerals disguise the corpse through makeup and formal clothes (and wars can be fought without showing corpses), distance us from death and even our food chain.

The actual story of the command of Allah azza wa jall to Ibrahim alayhi assalaam to sacrifice the son is a hard one for a society which makes demands of God rather than accepting God's demands. But I'm not sure of a way to tell the story that does not confront this societal attitude.

wassalaam
Ayman

Just one note, the sacrificial story is one that is common to Jews, Christians and Muslims. (The difference is that in Judeo-Christian understandings, Isaac was to be the sacrifice and in Muslim understandings, Ishmael was to be the sacrifice.) While it may make one uncomfortable or provoke questions, it should not be unfamiliar to any of those persons raised and/or educated within those traditions.

one other thing. http://www.sonsacrifice.com/ A Son's Sacrifice is a movie about Eid al-adha in the United States which will be shown on the PBS show Independent Lens on January 22, 2008. It is produced by Musa Syeed, whom I met in Indianapolis 8-9 years ago.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/sonssacrifice/

mosadi- while christians in america are indeed very familiar with the story of the sacrifice- in christianity- the death on the cross of Jesus(ata) is the final blood sacrifice to the god-

they believe that there is no more sacrifices to be made-
in the bible even, Jesus(ata) says that god does not need blood sacrifices anymore.

so some christians view this practice as an affront to their beliefs- a denial of Jesus(ata) sacrifice, which is central to the belief.
and even perceive it as a confrontational negation of that sacrifice by muslims-

or else, a pre-christian practice that Jesus(ata) gave the word was no longer asked of by god-
and didnt muslims get that memo?
did they stay stuck in the old testament or something?

its also a reminder to christians that muslims deny the trintity-

and also dont believe that Jesus(ata) died on the cross at all.

so, its a couple of ideas that irritate and even anger christians by magnifying the differences in the 2 faiths