Local Muslims Celebrate Islamic New Year on Friday

Muslims in Pasadena will celebrate Muharram, the start of the new year in the Islamic calendar, with a solemn gathering this Friday. 

The beginning of Muharram varies from year to year because it depends on the sighting of the crescent moon, which this year is around July 28. 

For many Muslims, the sacred month that kicks off each new year is a time of mourning and reflection: it is the anniversary of the summer of 622 C.E. when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers are said to have migrated in secret from Mecca to Medina. 

That migration, also known as Hijrah, was an attempt to escape religious persecution, and the date is widely seen as the beginning of Islam both as an organized religion and a political institution. 

The month is also significant because one day, on the 10th of Muharram, the Prophet Mohammad saw the Jewish people fasting to commemorate Exodus, when Moses — called Musa in Arabic — led the Israelites out of Egypt. 

In Pasadena, the event observing the start of Muharram on Friday will be held at the New Horizon School at 651 Orange Grove Blvd.