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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                  APRIL 24, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 18

                                     Eid Celebration in

                 New York Showcases Unity,

                                   Diversity and Hope

            Binaya Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, speaking at the gathering. Photo:  IAMNA  Audience members and dignitaries attend the Eid Celebration hosted by
                                                                                  the Indian American Muslims of North America (IAMNA) in association with the Consulate
            OUR BUREAU                            He underscored India’s tradition                General of India, New York. Photo: IAMNA
                                              of coexistence and diversity, where dif-
            LONG ISLAND CITY, NY
                                              ferent languages, traditions and faiths
                  he Indian American Muslims of   thrive  together  under  a  shared  com- man; Rita Joseph, Councilwoman of  forts in empowering and uplifting the
                  North America (IAMNA), in   mitment to mutual respect. Drawing  New York City; and Neeta Jain, who   community.
            Tassociation with the Consulate   parallels with the United States, he   presented  a  Congressional  Certifi-  Speaking  on  behalf  of  IAMNA,
            General of India in New York, hosted   described the gathering as a reflection   cate of Merit on behalf of Gregory W.  Chairman  and  media  personality
            a  vibrant  Eid  Celebration  on  Friday   of “unity in diversity,” where people  Meeks. Also in attendance was Raj  Ilayas Quraishi expressed gratitude to
            evening at Five Star Banquet Hall,  from different backgrounds come to- Goyal, who is running for New York  the Consulate General of India, Her
            bringing  together  diplomats,  elected   gether in a spirit of brotherhood.  City Comptroller.       Excellency Amna Almheiri, elected
            officials, interfaith leaders and more   Pradhan  also  highlighted  initia-  From the Office of the New York  officials  and  community  leaders  for
            than  200  guests  from  diverse  faiths   tives by the Consulate to better serve  City  Public  Advocate,  Deputy  Public   their presence and continued sup-
            and backgrounds.                  the  community,  including  new sat- Advocate Kashif Hussain presented an   port. IAMNA leadership includes
                The  event  reflected  the  spirit   ellite centers in Edison, New Jersey;  official proclamation recognizing IAM- Vice Chairman Ahmed Shakir and
            of  Eid  —  a  celebration  of  gratitude,  Columbus, Ohio; and Boston, along  NA’s contributions to the community.  Event Co-Chair Mohammed Faroqui,
            compassion, unity and hope - while   with expanded service availability.  A distinguished group of commu- along with Co-Chairs Mukbul Mans-
            showcasing the diversity and strength   Her Excellency Amna Almheiri,  nity leaders was also present, includ-  uri,  Faisal  Munir  and Faheemuddin
            of the community.                 Consul General of the United Arab  ing Dr. Sudhir Parikh, recipient of  Mohammed, who played key roles in
                Addressing the gathering, Consul   Emirates, attended as Guest of Hon- the Padma Shri award; Ankur Vaidya,  organizing the event.
            General of India in New York Binaya   or and delivered heartfelt remarks re- President of the Federation of Indian   Quraishi  described  the  gather-
            Srikanta Pradhan commended IAM-   flecting both regional context and the  Associations (FIA); Srujal Parikh, Ex-  ing as a reflection of the “true colors
            NA for its continued partnership with   spirit of Eid.              ecutive Committee Member of FIA;  of India,” where people of different
            the Consulate in organizing Eid cel-  “Wow,  this  was  truly  a  pleasant  Ravi  Bhooplapur,  Chairman  of St.  faiths and backgrounds come together
            ebrations and noted the significantly   surprise. Thank you very much for in- Xavier Medical College; Mohinder  as one. He highlighted the event as a
            larger turnout this year. “I can see in   viting me today,” she said. “We have  Singh Gilzian, President of INOC;  powerful example of unity in diversity.
            this gathering people from different   gone  through  some  difficult  times  Professor Indrajit Saluja, Editor; Ravi   The evening featured a rich and
            walks of life,” Pradhan said, empha-  back in the UAE and the region, but  Batra,  Attorney;  Vikas  Dhall,  Entre-  engaging program including Quran
            sizing the inclusive nature of the event.  things are now improving. This makes   preneur; Jay Singh, Editor; Neeta Jain,  recitation  by  Umar  Faroqui  with
                He further highlighted that Eid   this Eid celebration even more mean- Democratic  Leader;  Harpreet  Singh   translation  by  Zoha  Fatima  Ahmed,
            represents universal values of charity,  ingful — a true celebration of peace,  Toor, Community Leader; Rajender  live Qawwali by Rhythm Tolee, stand-
            forgiveness and harmony that reso-  unity and hope, not just here, but also  Dichpally, Community Leader; In-  up  comedy  by  Mohammed  Darbar,
            nate across cultures and faiths. Em-  back in our region.”          derpal Dhall, Faith Leader; and A.G.  remarks by community leaders, and a
            phasizing India’s pluralistic ethos, he   She thanked the organizers and  Farooqui, Educationist, among others.  dinner reception.
            noted that India is home to one of the   wished everyone a blessed Eid.  IAMNA also honored two wom-     The event concluded with a re-
            world’s largest Muslim populations,   The event was attended by sever- en entrepreneurs — Palvesha Yasin   newed commitment to fostering uni-
            with a rich history of Islam dating   al  distinguished  elected  officials,  in- Latiwala and Asra Rashid — for their  ty, strengthening community ties and
            back to early trade interactions along   cluding John C. Liu, New York State  outstanding community service and   promoting harmony across diverse
            the Malabar Coast.                Senator; Landon C. Dais, Assembly- contributions,  recognizing  their  ef-  communities.

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