By Amadu Daramy in Maryland, USA
Sierra Leonean Muslims within the District of Columbia, Maryland and, Virginia (DMV) made history on Friday, March 20, 2026, with the first of its kind unified EID AL FITR prayer at 10001 Ardwick Ardmore Rd, Springdale in Maryland, USA.
The coalition of the Sierra Leonean Muslim Jamaats, (SLMJ), headed by Imam Teslim Alghali, the Fullah Progressive Union( FPU) headed by Alpha Umar Bah, the United Muslim Association (UMA) headed by Sheikh Sallieu Conteh and, the Daa’wa United Council of Sierra Leonean Muslims Association in America (DUCSMA) headed by Sheikh Toufic made it possible and successful.
The Charles Herbert Flowers High School Football Field was full to capacity with Sierra Leoneans, African-Americans and, other Africans who joined the congregation to pray and thank Allah for the successful Ramadan 2026.
Officiating Imam, Dr. Ramadan Jalloh from Freetown informed the congregation about the aims and objectives of fasting including to express joy and happiness of completing the fasting, mercy, to honour the symbol of Allah and revitalize and celebrate together as one firmly united people from the same country.
Dr. Ramadan Jalloh advised all Muslims within the community to demonstrate unity, solidarity and love to one another, be thankful to Allah for making it possible to fast and to complete it, rejoice in the mercy of Allah and his teachings asserting that the event is to celebrate as Sierra Leoneans, defeat Satan and other hurdles facing them as well as honor Allah as the greatest of all.
He added that unity is strength and that one of the reasons for fasting is to refresh and revitalize their souls.
Imam Jalloh also prayed for God to grant them strength and reminded them that the law of Ramadan is the same for all other months of the year that Muslims must abide with until death and that they must continue to fast three days monthly and do good even after the month of Ramadan disclosing that Muslims must fast six more days after the month of Ramadan and urged all to uphold their prayers.
The officiating Imam Dr. Ramadan Jalloh also encouraged all Muslims to be nice to one another and more to their parents, pray for the dead and their children and even for their less- fortunate compatriots back home in Sierra Leone who are facing many challenges.
Concluding, he appealed to Sierra Leoneans to be peaceful and law abiding in America and also be patriotic to their motherland, love one another, be united and contribute to her development.
