At left, Imam Hisham Qaisi oversees the marriage of Adil Syed and Mavara Agha with her father Arif Agha, at right. The couple was married in the Mavara's childhood home in Oak Brook. Agha said that community “in a religious and a cultural context is a huge part of a wedding…There are a lot of Pakistani Muslims in Oak Brook, and they all live pretty close to each other. Growing up we had a lot of get-togethers in my home, so having such a significant moment in my home and in front of my community meant a lot to me.” |||| Rites of Passage define our lives. They signify the progress of time as well as our citizenship in a tribe, in a culture — in life itself. Chicago commemorates these moments in ways that reflect its diversity, but through difference, we find commonality. We are all connected through these formal and informal ceremonies that remind us how much family, love and time shape us.
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