News / Middle East

Millions of Muslims Celebrate Eid al-Fitr

Iraqi Sunni Muslims exchange greetings after Eid prayers outside Abu Hanifa mosque at the first day of Eid al-Fitr prayers in Baghdad, Iraq, August 19, 2012.
Iraqi Sunni Muslims exchange greetings after Eid prayers outside Abu Hanifa mosque at the first day of Eid al-Fitr prayers in Baghdad, Iraq, August 19, 2012.
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VOA News
Millions of Muslims are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr festival that ends the fasting month of Ramadan, by participating in feasts, family reunions and other festivities.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, worshippers packed into mosques before dawn Sunday, the first day of the festival. Thousands attended prayers at Jakarta's Al Azhar mosque.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai attended Eid prayers at the presidential palace mosque in Kabul. In a speech to his war-torn nation, he said the enemies of Islam "continued to oppress" the Afghan people by carrying out attacks during Ramadan. He urged Taliban insurgent leaders to declare whether or not they support acts of violence committed in their name and warned that the perpetrators will one day be held accountable.

Muslims in China's Xinjiang region marked Eid by visiting the tombs of relatives and leaving offerings of food after morning prayers. Xinjiang is home to Turkic-speaking minority Muslim Uighurs, many of whom accuse China's leaders of religious persecution.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted a regional ethnic affairs official Liu Zhenqiang as saying Ramadan passed peacefully in Xinjiang. China has an estimated 20 million Muslims.

Photo Gallery
  • Children pose at Obalende praying ground in Lagos as muslims pray on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, August 19, 2012.
  • Sudanese Muslims attend morning prayers to celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan, the holiest month on the Islamic calendar, on the outskirts of El Fashir, North Darfur, August 19, 2012.
  • Muslim men attend prayers on Eid Al-Fitr day at the Regent's Park Mosque in London on August 19, 2012.
  • Muslims pray during Eid al-Fitr prayer, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Palermo, Italy, August, 19, 2012.
  • Protestors demanding that the relatives of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh be fired from army and police posts attend Eid al-Fitr prayers in Sanaa, Yemen, August 19, 2012.
  • Indian Muslim boys play atop a marble stand after breaking fast on the last day of the holy month of Ramadan before the Eid holiday, at Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, August 19, 2012.
  • Iraqi Sunni Muslims exchange greetings after Eid prayers outside Abu Hanifa mosque at the first day of Eid al-Fitr prayers in the Azamiyah area of north Baghdad, Iraq, August 19, 2012.
  • Egyptians rest after Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, situated on the summit of the ancient citadel of Salah Addin Alayoubi, in Cairo, August 19, 2012.
  • Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (3nd R ) attends Eid Al Fitr prayers at al-Hamad mosque in Damascus, August 19, 2012.

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by: Godwin from: Nigeria
August 20, 2012 11:41 AM
Congratulations. But what do we say of al qaida, el shebaab, boko haram, hezbollah, hamas, etc. all offshoots of islam that have refused to allow us a peaceful celebration? We would have wished that the eid continued when moslems are expected to be their tamest. But that was not to be in this season. Should we wish that it was not over so soon since the 'peaceful' season became most chaotic? If a peaceful period has all the killings and concomitant troubles, how is the ordinary times going to look like? Is hell becoming cooler than the earth because of islam?


by: Facts from: USA
August 19, 2012 1:26 PM
Correction to Editor...

The number is closer to 1.5 billion Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-il-Fitr... Just to put things into perspective.

I hope an update gets rerun :)

Sincerely.


by: Dorothea from: UK
August 19, 2012 1:08 PM
i begin to believe that the Hayatolas of Iran has miscalculated... you see, Iran's "natural" enemies are the Saudis the Qataris the Bahranis and the Turkies, and the Iraqis... until they have been taken out of the equation...
now, with conventional weaponry, Iran could have crushed any and all of them... but they were greedy... they wanted a nuclear weapon... and that puts them in direct conflict with Israel... a High tech Western fierce democracy... now, suddenly, the Iranians are not in the minor handicapped (reserved for Mental defects Only) Arab league but in the "super ball" and you can hear their fear from the shrill invectives their repulsive leaders have directed against Israel... I hope we shall see a more forceful alinement with Israel - #10 has been unnaturally quite...

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