Laughter, song and the aroma of Middle Eastern cuisine will fill the Hannah Community Center today.

The Muslim Students' Association, or MSA, will host its fifth annual Eid dinner at 7 p.m. in the center, 819 Abbott Road.

This time, however, the group will add a little extra flavor to the menu.

"We wanted to do something new," Siddique Farooqi, a first-year Cooley Law School student said. "We wanted fellow students to see us up here."

New entertainment planned for the event includes comedy skits and the singing of traditional Islamic devotional songs called anasheeds, sung in Arabic.

Farooqi said the songs celebrate Islam and the life of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. They will be performed by nine members of the group. The association members have been practicing for weeks, since few of them speak Arabic.

"We put a lot of time into this," Faizan Makhiawala, a general business administration and pre-law sophomore said. "First, we had to learn how to pronounce many of the words."

Makhiawala said he looks forward to the event, although he is a little nervous.

"I haven't done anything like this since middle school," Makhiawala said.

This year's dinner chairman, Soud Sediqe, a premedical freshman, said singing the anasheeds was something the association has long wanted but never been able to do.

"This year, we have the talent," Sediqe said.

Sediqe said he also is looking forward to the comedy skits, which will be performed in two segments. The first will have an all female cast, the second all male.

The skits are a satire of Muslim and Pakistani culture, Sediqe said.

"I think they are very funny," Sediqe said. "Some students may have a hard time following the parts that poke fun at Muslim culture, but the satire should come through."

The dinner is part of the Muslim celebration of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, a time when some Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Eid traditionally takes place on the 10th day of the pilgrimage and commemorates the sacrifices of Abraham.

Sediqe encourages students to come regardless of religious or ethnic background.

"This is to show the many sides of Islam," Sediqe said. "I think with the present situation in America, with the war and terrorism, it's important for all parts of the community to get to know each other."

The practice sessions already have helped the group members understand one another better.

"One of the best things is getting close with all the members," physiology senior Irfan Ahmad said. "It's cool how tight the group has gotten."