Happy Father’s Day AND Eid Mubarak!

Today we commemorate a B-side holiday and the “Big Eid.”

What do I mean by B-side? If you’re an old head like me, you recall B-sides were the tracks that either didn’t appear in the original album or were considered secondary tracks to the featured “hit” song. 

Father’s Day is the perfect B-side complement to Mother’s Day. Today us dads get our brief moment in the sun, a nice card or two, the bigger piece of chicken, and a gift card to Costco. If Mother’s Day is Mexican Coke then Father’s Day is RC Cola. No one is really excited about it, but if you’re thirsty and nothing is around it’ll get the job done. 

Please know I have no complaints about this hierarchy. (Also, I dig RC Cola.) In Islam, there’s a saying: “heaven lies beneath the feet of mothers.” As a person who saw my wife give birth to our three kids, I say give moms all the gold medals, love, attention, and extra holidays until the end of time. I have male friends complain for years about kidney stones they had to expel from their body. If men were the ones who had to give birth, MAGA would set up drive-thru abortion services at every CVS and gun shop in America. But I digress.

Today is Father’s Day, so here’s to the dads who have stepped up, especially as single parents or widowers. Here’s a shout out to the dads who stick around, hug and kiss their kids, invest time and effort into raising them with love and affection, and treat their partners with respect. I know it seems like many of my species might be failing, but most of my friends who are dads defy the negative stereotypes and model excellent parenting. Sure, we take a little too much time in the bathroom and feel compelled to embarrass our kids with corny dad jokes, but nobody’s perfect. If you’re a dad reading this article and these traits describe you, then indulge in the extra love and eat the big piece of chicken with joy. (Also, please note that Queen’s “We are the champions” was originally a B-side if it makes you feel better.) 

Father’s Day this year coincides with Eid Al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which happens annually during the last day of Hajj, the religious pilgrimmage to Mecca that Muslims are asked to perform at least once in their lifetime if they have the financial means and health to do so. For those who aren’t Muslim, you might be asking, “Didn’t Muslims just celebrate Eid? Didn’t that happen during Ramadan when you fast? Wait, you are allowed to drink water, right?” 

To answer your questions, yes Muslims celebrated Eid-al Fitr at the end of Ramadan this year. And, no, Muslims don’t drink food or water during our fasts which last from sunrise to sunset. (Christians and Jews, be grateful. You get off easy.) 

However, this is the second Eid, and is often referred to as a “Greater Eid” due to it coinciding with the completion of Hajj which generally draws more than 2 million Muslims around the world to Saudi Arabia. The religious holiday commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Muslims, like our monotheistic cousins, believe at the last second, Allah replaced Prophet Ibrahim’s son with a ram. On this holiday, Muslims are asked to distribute meat to family, friends, and the needy, with an emphasis on kindness and charity to the poor and marginalized.  

Culturally, you’ll be seeing a lot of decked out, blinged out attractive Muslims all across America today, especially at restaurants. If your Spidey Sense is tingling, then, yes, they might be Muslim and are most likely meeting family and friends after Eid prayer. Don’t worry, you can approach us. We don’t bite. If you say, “Eid mubarak!” you’ll get massive brownie points, respect, and appreciation. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get an invite to Eid dinners where the food and fixings will be glorious.

So, on behalf of The Left Hook, Happy Father’s Day and Eid Mubarak to all!

Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go indulge in some halal fried chicken after morning Eid prayers. 

See you on Monday.