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Muslims around the world marked the end of Ramadan, ending the holy month of fasting with the Eid al-Fitr festival over the weekend.
In Palestine, President Mahmoud Abbas placed a wreath on the grave of his predecessor Yasser Arafat.
In France, which has some five million Muslims, the Great Mosque of Paris intervened to settle a disagreement over the start date for Ramadan. There was no such debate over the end as thousands turned out for Eid.
Thousands of kilometres to the east, in the Russian region of Tatarstan they are also celebrating. It is traditional for Muslims to demonstrate unity, often forgiving old wrongs and giving money to the poor.
In Egypt the traditional treats are cookies made with nuts and sugar. This year the country’s political crisis has overshadowed the festival and shops have reported poor trade.
In Bangladesh millions of people left the capital Dhaka to return to their home towns to celebrate with families and friends.
Trains and ferries were jam-packed, but most still found a way to board railway carriages or boats somehow.
In Iran, people turned out en masse across the nation for communal prayers shortly after sunrise on Friday.
Among the countries that celebrated the major Islamic holiday on Thursday were Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and several other Middle Eastern nations, including Palestine.
Iran and Iraq, however, are among those Muslim nations that have declared Friday as Eid al-Fitr since the moon crescent which marks the beginning of the new month could not be sighted in those countries by Thursday.
Under the Islamic law, the old month’s end is declared only after the new moon crescent is sighted.
Eid al-Fitr also marks the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal that follows the fasting month of Ramadan.
Sources
Image: Reuters/Al Jazeera
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