MUSLIM CELEBRATION TODAY ACROSS THE CITY, ADHERENTS TO ISLAM SET TO OBSERVE FEAST OF SACRIFICE.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Muslims from all over Los Angeles will gather today at Islamic centers and mosques in celebration of Eid-ul-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice.

Eid-ul-Adha is the most important feast on the Islamic calendar, said Usman Madha, director of public relations for King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, where prayers are scheduled at 7:30 a.m. today.

``Anybody and everybody is welcome,'' Madha said.

He notes that there are second- and third-generation Muslims throughout America: ``We are part and parcel of America; to us, this is our home. It's sad to see a lot of misconceptions or misinformation or disinformation that is given to the general public without really coming out and talking to us and finding out what the teaching is all about.''

``We welcome everybody to come and talk to Muslims and see for themselves how much we have in common,'' added Sabiha Kahan, communications director at the Southern California chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Lasting three days, the feast commemorates Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to obey God and sacrifice his son, Ishmael. According to the Koran, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.

The feast also marks the end of the Hajj season, when pilgrims return from visits to the holy city of Mecca. The Hajj is one of the ``five pillars'' of the Islamic faith.

The other four pillars include: Shahada, the declaration of faith; Salat, or daily prayers, which Muslims do five times a day; fasting during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month in the Islamic calendar; and Zakat, or the obligatory donation of 2.5 percent of one's net worth to charity.

``This is a time when the whole world is celebrating those who are lucky enough to go to Mecca and do the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, and those who are at home are thinking about Ishmael's willingness to sacrifice for God,'' Kahan said.

Madha said today's celebrations begin at 7:30 a.m. with the Salat-ul-Eid, or special prayers. Light refreshments, including doughnuts, juices, teas and samboosa, or dough filled with meat, will be served.

Afterward, many Muslims will attend family-oriented social gatherings. The holiday also involves small gifts for children and distribution of meat to the needy.

Many Muslim communities will also be holding voter registration drives, urging Muslims to use the holiday to push the importance of casting ballots.

``It's critical for us as a community to have our voice heard,'' said Omar Zaki, director of governmental relations for the Council on American- Islamic Relations in Southern California.

``Muslim voters are becoming more influential in every election,'' he said, adding that young voters and recent immigrants are especially important targets of a voting drive.

``Part of our message is to get them to understand that voting is their way of speaking,'' Zaki said.

Some of the registration centers in the Los Angeles area for today's celebrations include:

--Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St.

--Carson Community Center, 3 Civic Plaza Drive

--Masjed Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, 1025 W. Exposition Blvd.

--Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave.

--Crenshaw High School, 5010 11th Avenue

People who want to go to a mosque are asked to follow a few simple rules, Madha said. Both men and women are asked to dress appropriately, which means women should wear a scarf to cover their heads, and both men and women should wear clothing that comes to the wrists and ankles, which means no tank tops or T-shirts.

People also are asked to remove their shoes on entering the mosque, although they can keep their socks on. Those interested are also advised to ask people first before taking photographs of them.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com