Muslims all over the world rejoice at end of Ramadan

MUSLIMS in the Middle East and across the Islamic world yesterday started celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the annual three-day holiday that marks the end of the holy sunrise-to-sunset fasting month of Ramadan.

The eagerly anticipated religious festival, a cherished time for family gatherings, resembles Christmas in its spirit of joyfulness, special celebrations and gift-giving for the world's one billion Muslims from Afghanistan to Zanzibar.

Hotels in Beirut are doing brisk and welcome business with visitors from the oil-rich Gulf, while the arrival of budget airlines in the Arab world this year means that ever more families can meet up for the celebrations.

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In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, children paraded through the streets of the capital, Jakarta, carrying candles. In Bangladesh, tens of thousands of holidaymakers left the capital, Dhaka, for the countryside in buses and trains: it was estimated six million of the city's 10 million people were going home to their villages to celebrate Eid.

The less fortunate, living in countries afflicted by man-made or natural disasters, are also being remembered in prayers across the Islamic world. In earthquake-hit Kashmir, survivors said they were in no mood to celebrate - and aid workers warned the impending winter could make matters worse unless urgently needed aid arrives immediately.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq used the occasion to announce it had sentenced to death two Moroccan embassy hostages it was holding even as Moroccan politicians and newspapers begged the terrorist group to spare the men's lives ahead of Eid.

Security was a top priority for Iraqi families but little violence was reported and many Sunni Muslims ventured out to celebrate the beginning of the festival.

"We pray to almighty God on the occasion of Eid that stability and security will prevail so that people can picnic. They are fed up of being always at home in fear of blasts," said one Iraqi, Mohsen Chasib.

But the celebration reflected divisions in Iraqi society, with the country's Shia majority not starting the holiday until today, the same date adopted by neighbouring Iran, where Shia Islam also predominates.

In Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town, the main amusement park was thronged with children sporting their new holiday clothes and enjoying the autumn sunshine. American patrols kept off the streets for the first time in weeks in an effort to reduce the chance of violence ruining the holiday.

"The real Eid for Iraqis will be the day that occupation forces get out of our country," said Aqel Omar, a 48-year-old retired government employee. "I hope that next year our country is liberated and stable and that we can rebuild it again."

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In India extra police have been deployed around mosques and shrines after the bombings in the capital, Delhi, last week in which 62 people died. Security was especially tight in the Muslim-dominated old city. "The atmosphere has been marred by the bomb blasts," Mohammad Shahid, who sells prayer caps next to the country's biggest mosque, Jama Masjid, said.

Meanwhile Africa's most lawless city, the Somali capital, Mogadishu, staged a rare moment of peace and unity. In keeping with tradition, the rich gave to the poor with wealthy patrons handing out money and food to queues of beggars as Islamic sermons reverberated from loudspeakers.

The city's streets were awash with guns - but they were toy ones given as Eid gifts to children staging mock clan battles. "The toy guns sell like hot cakes during Eid celebrations," said Abdirizak Luqman, a 30-year-old supermarket manager. "I have sold nearly a thousand pieces since yesterday."