Author: Zaheer Babar Khan

With temperatures reaching 87 degrees, it was the perfect evening for residents to enjoy a cold-water spray from a fire hose at Edenvale Park in Eden Prairie. Wednesday’s “Pop-up Splash Pad” was organized by the City of Eden Prairie in collaboration with Bjorn Cycling, which conducted free bicycle safety checks, Abbey’s Hope, which provided water safety tips, and Hennepin County Library, which offered a pop-up library. It was hosted by EPPD officers, firefighters, Parks and Recreation staff, and supported by the Human Rights and Diversity Commission (HRDC). Usually, Eden Prairie residents interact with police officers and firefighters while they patrol…

Eden Prairie resident Zaheer Babar Khan snapped these photos of the supermoon, also called the buck or thunder moon, on Wednesday night, July 13. Khan took the photos of the biggest supermoon of the year from the top floor of the SouthWest Transit parking lot in Eden Prairie. According to media reports, a supermoon means the moon is closer than average to Earth, making it appear bigger and brighter. The moon’s distance from Earth changes throughout the year while it travels in an elliptical orbit. This is the last supermoon for 2022. The next one is expected on Aug. 1,…

Eden Prairie resident Zaheer Babar Khan took this short video of the fireworks finale during Monday night’s 4th of July Hometown Celebration at Round Lake Park. The city’s Independence Day festivities were expected to draw about 8,000-10,000 residents for an afternoon and evening of food, music and fireworks.

There are two significant celebrations in the Muslim community starting with the Arabic word “Eid” i.e. festival or feast. Recently, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on the first day of Shawwal – the tenth month of the Lunar Islamic calendar. While Eid-ul-Fitr is more a celebration after 30 days of fasting, Eid-ul-Adha is about remembering the sacrifice of the messenger Ibrahim a.k.a. Abraham (peace be up on him). Eid-ul-Adha falls on the 10th day of the month “Dhul-Hijjah” of the Lunar Islamic calendar and coincides with “Hajj” (Pilgrimage) which is one of the five pillars of Islam. The first 10 days of…

“The moon is sighted, the moon is sighted” is the yell of the excited children from the streets and roof tops as an informal announcement of Eid-ul-Fitr a.k.a. Eid starting next day. In the countries with Muslim population, this is a common group activity closer to sunset to sight the moon of the first day of Shawwal; the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Young or old, all will be busy sharpening their eyesight to spot the thin and light moon on the horizon while guiding others “look on the left of the big tree right above the electrical…