Joyous Eid Ul-Fitr Do In New York On Moderate Scale

By Nani Rahayu Yusof NEW YORK, July 30 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian community in New York celebrated the 1st of Syawal with a gathering at the office of the Malaysian Permanent Representative to the United Nations. After the Hari Raya prayers, an open house organised by the office as well as the office of the Malaysian Consulate in New York was held. Various Raya delicacies were served including ketupat, rendang, satay, nasi minyak, mee rebus, laksa as well as traditional cookies, which were prepared by Perwakilan members (Wives of Foreign Ministry Staff group) in New York as their annual event. The main hall of the office was decked up by various ketupat decorations and other traditional items to give the place thousands of kilometres from home, the local Aidilfitri ambience. More than 300 guests attended the occasion including the ambassadors of Asean countries and Malaysians residing in the city. At the function, the Malaysian Permanent Representative to UN, Hussein Hanif also presented raya money and gift packs to all children present. He said in celebrating the festival, the memory of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 tragedy and those suffering in Gaza were not forgotten. "We pray for the families of MH17 victims to be strong in facing their trials and those in Gaza to be able to celebrate Aidilfitri," he told Bernama after the open house function. He and his team will be working hard at the UN Security Council conference to voice the stand of the country on both issues at the world body. --BERNAMA