Yellowknife (Nov 19/04) - It was a taste of East Africa and the Middle East at Ingamo Hall Sunday as Inuvik's Muslims marked the end of Ramadan by inviting community members to take part in Eid al-Fatr.

Literally translated as the "Festival of the breaking of the fast," Eid al-Fatr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations -- the other being the pilgrimage to Mecca or Hajj.

"It's nice to have a community built on a mosaic of culture," said Abdalla Mohamed, a Sudanese who came to Inuvik in 1991. "And hopefully it will be an even bigger celebration next year."

During Ramadan, which lasts 29 days, adherents to the faith do not eat or drink during daylight hours and this fasting is punctuated by prayer. Before daybreak, the faithful will rise for suhoor, a meal taken before sunrise. After the sun sets, a meal known as iftar, which often begins with dates and sweet drinks to give an energy boost, is eaten.

And for anybody who believes that Muslims in Inuvik have it easy during Ramadan because of the region's shorter days, think again.

"We go by Edmonton time," said Amier Suliman, getting a chuckle from the suggestion.

The Muslim community in town continues to grow and is now estimated at between 70 and 80.

For Kerry Alkadri, a Palestinian from Lebanon who has lived in the community for nine years, coming here was not only a new beginning but a chance reunion.

"When I arrived here nine years ago, I was shocked to find so many people from my hometown that I grew up with but didn't realize what had happened to them," he said of the estrangement of many Palestinians from their homeland through years of regional strife.

Other countries represented by Inuvik's Muslim community include Morocco, Libya, Lebanon and Iraq.

Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Koran, the holy book of Islam. According to believers, around 610 A.D. a caravan trader named Mohammed took to wandering the desert near Mecca -- located in what's now Saudi Arabia -- contemplating his faith.

One night, the angel Gabriel called to him from the night sky to tell Mohammed that he had been chosen to receive the word of Allah. In the days that followed, Mohammed found himself speaking the words that would eventually be transcribed as the Koran.