{"id":5993,"date":"2023-04-21T17:07:58","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T17:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5993"},"modified":"2023-04-21T18:12:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T18:12:26","slug":"muslims-celebrate-the-holiday-of-eid-al-fitr-with-the-joys-and-sorrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/culture\/muslims-celebrate-the-holiday-of-eid-al-fitr-with-the-joys-and-sorrows\/2023\/04\/21\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Muslims celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Fitr with the Joys and sorrows"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEIRUT<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> The<\/span> holiday<\/span> of<\/span> Eid<\/span> al-Fitr<\/span> has<\/span> brought<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> of<\/span> prayer<\/span> and<\/span> joy<\/span> for<\/span> Muslims<\/span> around<\/span> the<\/span> world.<\/span> The<\/span> festivities<\/span> were<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> tragedy<\/span> as<\/span> conflict<\/span> erupted<\/span> in<\/span> Sudan,<\/span> but<\/span> were<\/span> held<\/span> in<\/span> hopes<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> brighter<\/span> future<\/span> in<\/span> other<\/span> countries.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> the<\/span> fasting<\/span> month<\/span> of<\/span> Ramadan,<\/span> Muslims<\/span> celebrate<\/span> Eid<\/span> al-Fitr<\/span> with<\/span> festivals<\/span> and<\/span> family<\/span> visits.<\/span> The<\/span> start<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> holiday<\/span> is<\/span> traditionally<\/span> based<\/span> on<\/span> new<\/span> moon<\/span> sightings<\/span> that<\/span> vary<\/span> by<\/span> geographical<\/span> location.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Khartoum,<\/span> the<\/span> capital<\/span> of<\/span> Sudan,<\/span> gunshots<\/span> rang<\/span> out<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> early<\/span> hours<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> holiday.<\/span> Deadly<\/span> conflict<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> vast<\/span> African<\/span> country<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> week<\/span> has<\/span> forced<\/span> many<\/span> to<\/span> seek<\/span> shelter<\/span> indoors<\/span> ahead<\/span> of<\/span> holidays,<\/span> despite<\/span> civilian<\/span> water<\/span> and<\/span> food<\/span> shortages<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span> Jerusalem,<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> worshipers<\/span> flocked<\/span> to<\/span> Islam’s<\/span> third<\/span> holiest<\/span> site,<\/span> the<\/span> Al-Aqsa<\/span> Mosque.<\/span> Tensions<\/span> with<\/span> Israeli<\/span> authorities<\/span> have<\/span> increased<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> month.<\/span> The<\/span> site<\/span> also<\/span> contains<\/span> the<\/span> holiest<\/span> site<\/span> of<\/span> Judaism.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> the<\/span> holiday<\/span> prayers,<\/span> a<\/span> jester<\/span> entertained<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> while<\/span> a<\/span> woman<\/span> painted<\/span> the<\/span> green,<\/span> red,<\/span> black<\/span> and<\/span> white<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> flag<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> little<\/span> girl’s<\/span> cheek.<\/span> Unfolded<\/span> banners<\/span> supporting<\/span> extremist<\/span> groups.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> streets<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> UAE<\/span> cities<\/span> of<\/span> Damascus,<\/span> Baghdad<\/span> and<\/span> Beirut<\/span> were<\/span> crowded<\/span> with<\/span> believers<\/span> heading<\/span> to<\/span> mosques<\/span> and<\/span> cemeteries.<\/span> Many<\/span> Muslims<\/span> visit<\/span> the<\/span> graves<\/span> of<\/span> their<\/span> loved<\/span> ones<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> morning<\/span> prayers<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> day<\/span> of<\/span> Eid<\/span> al-Fitr.<\/span> Visitors<\/span> carried<\/span> bouquets,<\/span> jugs<\/span> for<\/span> plants,<\/span> and<\/span> brooms<\/span> for<\/span> cleaning<\/span> gravestones.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cAfter<\/span> Eid<\/span> prayers,<\/span> we<\/span> always<\/span> visit<\/span> the<\/span> dead\u2026<\/span> pray<\/span> and<\/span> pay<\/span> homage.<\/span> May<\/span> God<\/span> have<\/span> mercy<\/span> and<\/span> forgive<\/span> them<\/span> on<\/span> this<\/span> blessed<\/span> day,\u201d<\/span> said<\/span> Asir<\/span> Mohammed,<\/span> Azamiah<\/span> of<\/span> Baghdad<\/span> Spoke<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> cemetery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Islamic<\/span> holidays<\/span> follow<\/span> the<\/span> lunar<\/span> calendar.<\/span> However,<\/span> some<\/span> countries<\/span> rely<\/span> on<\/span> astronomical<\/span> calculations<\/span> rather<\/span> than<\/span> physical<\/span> sightings.<\/span> This<\/span> often<\/span> leads<\/span> to<\/span> disagreements<\/span> between<\/span> religious<\/span> authorities<\/span> in<\/span> different<\/span> countries,<\/span> sometimes<\/span> even<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> country,<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> start<\/span> date<\/span> of<\/span> Eid<\/span> al-Fitr.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>This<\/span> year,<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia<\/span> and<\/span> many<\/span> other<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries<\/span> began<\/span> their<\/span> Eid<\/span> celebrations<\/span> on<\/span> Friday,<\/span> while<\/span> Iran,<\/span> Pakistan,<\/span> Indonesia<\/span> and<\/span> others<\/span> set<\/span> their<\/span> first<\/span> holidays<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Sudan,<\/span> a<\/span> holiday<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> marred<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> week<\/span> of<\/span> ferocious<\/span> fighting<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> army<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> rival<\/span> paramilitary<\/span> forces<\/span> engaged<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> violent<\/span> struggle<\/span> for<\/span> control<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country.<\/span> Hundreds<\/span> were<\/span> killed<\/span> and<\/span> thousands<\/span> wounded<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> fighting.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> a<\/span> video<\/span> message<\/span> released<\/span> early<\/span> Friday<\/span> morning,<\/span> in<\/span> his<\/span> first<\/span> speech<\/span> since<\/span> fighting<\/span> broke<\/span> out,<\/span> Sudan’s<\/span> commander-in-chief,<\/span> General<\/span> Abdelfata<\/span> Burhan,<\/span> marked<\/span> the<\/span> solemn<\/span> tone<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> holiday.<\/span> The<\/span> devastation<\/span> and<\/span> destruction<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> sound<\/span> of<\/span> bullets<\/span> left<\/span> no<\/span> room<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> happiness<\/span> everyone<\/span> deserves<\/span> in<\/span> our<\/span> beloved<\/span> country,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> day<\/span> before,<\/span> the<\/span> Sudanese<\/span> army<\/span> denied<\/span> talks<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> rival<\/span> militia<\/span> known<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> Rapid<\/span> Relief<\/span> Force,<\/span> threatening<\/span> an<\/span> international<\/span> negotiation<\/span> attempt<\/span> if<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> sides<\/span> continued<\/span> fighting<\/span> in<\/span> central<\/span> Khartoum<\/span> and<\/span> elsewhere<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> country.<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> would<\/span> only<\/span> accept<\/span> surrender.<\/span> A<\/span> sustainable<\/span> ceasefire.<\/span> Elsewhere<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> region,<\/span> however,<\/span> recent<\/span> reconciliations<\/span> between<\/span> arch-rivals<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia<\/span> and<\/span> Iran<\/span> have<\/span> raised<\/span> hopes<\/span> for<\/span> peace.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Yemen,<\/span> a<\/span> Saudi-Iranian<\/span> rapprochement<\/span> has<\/span> raised<\/span> the<\/span> prospect<\/span> of<\/span> ending<\/span> the<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> escalated<\/span> into<\/span> a<\/span> proxy<\/span> conflict<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> torn<\/span> the<\/span> poor<\/span> country<\/span> apart<\/span> since<\/span> 2014.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Saudi<\/span> officials<\/span> and<\/span> Iran-backed<\/span> Houthi<\/span> rebels<\/span> recently<\/span> began<\/span> talks<\/span> in<\/span> Yemen’s<\/span> capital,<\/span> Sanaa.<\/span> On<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> day<\/span> of<\/span> Ramadan,<\/span> the<\/span> warring<\/span> factions<\/span> exchanged<\/span> hundreds<\/span> of<\/span> prisoners<\/span> captured<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> conflict.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> the<\/span> moment<\/span> of<\/span> hope<\/span> was<\/span> marred<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> flood<\/span> of<\/span> charity<\/span> events<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> capital<\/span> late<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> that<\/span> killed<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 78<\/span> people<\/span> and<\/span> injured<\/span> 77<\/span> others.<\/span> This<\/span> year’s<\/span> Eid<\/span> al-Fitr<\/span> also<\/span> followed<\/span> an<\/span> increase<\/span> in<\/span> violence<\/span> in<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> Palestine.<\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span> Kabul,<\/span> Afghanistan,<\/span> where<\/span> believers<\/span> gathered<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> watchful<\/span> eye<\/span> of<\/span> Taliban<\/span> rulers,<\/span> 35-year-old<\/span> Abdul<\/span> Matin<\/span> said,<\/span> “In<\/span> addition<\/span> to<\/span> security,<\/span> I<\/span> wish<\/span> I<\/span> had<\/span> income<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> job.<\/span> Unfortunately,<\/span> people<\/span> face<\/span> this<\/span> difficulty.”<\/span> I<\/span> can’t<\/span> get<\/span> everything<\/span> I<\/span> need<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> critical<\/span> time.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria<\/span> mourned<\/span> the<\/span> loss<\/span> of<\/span> loved<\/span> ones<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> devastating<\/span> 7.8-magnitude<\/span> earthquake<\/span> that<\/span> struck<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> countries<\/span> on<\/span> February<\/span> 6,<\/span> killing<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 50,000.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> conducted<\/span> Eid<\/span> morning<\/span> prayers<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> at<\/span> Hagia<\/span> Sophia,<\/span> Istanbul’s<\/span> sixth-century<\/span> Byzantine<\/span> church,<\/span> which<\/span> was<\/span> converted<\/span> into<\/span> a<\/span> mosque<\/span> three<\/span> years<\/span> ago.<\/span> Erdogan,<\/span> who<\/span> faces<\/span> elections<\/span> next<\/span> month<\/span> amid<\/span> the<\/span> economic<\/span> crisis<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> aftermath<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> handed<\/span> out<\/span> chocolates<\/span> and<\/span> pastries<\/span> to<\/span> journalists<\/span> outside<\/span> the<\/span> mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span> Kabul,<\/span> Afghanistan,<\/span> where<\/span> believers<\/span> gathered<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> watchful<\/span> eye<\/span> of<\/span> Taliban<\/span> rulers,<\/span> 35-year-old<\/span> Abdul<\/span> Matin<\/span> said,<\/span> “In<\/span> addition<\/span> to<\/span> security,<\/span> I<\/span> wish<\/span> I<\/span> had<\/span> income<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> job.<\/span> Unfortunately,<\/span> people<\/span> face<\/span> this<\/span> difficulty.”<\/span> I<\/span> can’t<\/span> get<\/span> everything<\/span> I<\/span> need<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> critical<\/span> time.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>\"\"<\/span>Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria<\/span> mourned<\/span> the<\/span> loss<\/span> of<\/span> loved<\/span> ones<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> devastating<\/span> 7.8-magnitude<\/span> earthquake<\/span> that<\/span> struck<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> countries<\/span> on<\/span> February<\/span> 6,<\/span> killing<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 50,000.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> conducted<\/span> Eid<\/span> morning<\/span> prayers<\/span> on<\/span> Friday<\/span> at<\/span> Hagia<\/span> Sophia,<\/span> Istanbul’s<\/span> sixth-century<\/span> Byzantine<\/span> church,<\/span> which<\/span> was<\/span> converted<\/span> into<\/span> a<\/span> mosque<\/span> three<\/span> years<\/span> ago.<\/span> Erdogan,<\/span> who<\/span> faces<\/span> elections<\/span> next<\/span> month<\/span> amid<\/span> the<\/span> economic<\/span> crisis<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> aftermath<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> handed<\/span> out<\/span> chocolates<\/span> and<\/span> pastries<\/span> to<\/span> journalists<\/span> outside<\/span> the<\/span> mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BEIRUT (AP) – The holiday of Eid al-Fitr has brought on Friday a day of prayer and joy for Muslims around the world. The festivities were met with tragedy as conflict erupted in Sudan, but were held in hopes of a brighter future in other countries. After the fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[1154,2456,2457,2459,2460,562,2455],"tags":[965,1066,1701,3600,4160,4161,4162,4163,4164,4165,4166,4167,4168,62,487,696],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/download-5-1.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5993"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6015,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5993\/revisions\/6015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}