IRAQ: Sunni Arabs begin Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramadan

Iraqi Sunni Muslims turned out at mosques on Monday (October 23) morning to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers, praying for an end of bloodshed and violence, which wrecks havoc in the country. Symbolic, perhaps, of Iraq's deepening sectarian split, only Sunnis are celebrating the start of the Eid holiday on Monday. The country's majority Shi'ites begin the three-day festival on Tuesday (October 24) or Wednesday (October 25), depending on which senior cleric they follow. According to Eid rituals, Sunni people flocked to Abu Hanifa Mosque, Baghdad's main Sunni Mosque in northern neighbourhood of Adhamiya. Signs of celebrations are very visible in Sunni neighbourhood of Baghdad as families and children crowded Al-Zawra amusement park despite cloudy and rainy weather. Children could be seen in new clothes enjoying ride on a small Ferris wheel, a swing set and a horse-drawn carriage at the park. After abstaining from food, water, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk for a month to become closer to God, Eid al-Fitr is a time when families and friends gather over sumptuous meals and children are given new clothes and toys. Muslims traditionally visit the graves of loved ones during the holiday, which is preceded by many days of shopping. Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 , the Eid al-Fitr holiday often brought a windfall for shop and restaurant owners, and a time of relaxation and celebration for many Iraqis and their families and friends. But more than three years after the U.S.-led invasion, that isn't always the case. Frequent attacks by suicide bombers and roadside bombs often make security a top priority for Iraqi families, many of whom also suffer from power outages and water shortages at their homes. Many families prefer indoor activities to celebrate Eid to travelling for fear of car bombs and suicide attacks. Traditionally, Iraqis celebrate the feast by visiting relatives, going out and eating special biscuits sprinkled with icing sugar. "We want to feel happy and take children out, we are fed up. Frankly speaking there is no joy any more, so we are waiting from Eid to Eid to celebrate because of the current circumstances and bombings, but God willing all these problems will end," said Nawfal Khalil Ibrahim, who accompanied his two little children to park. Other Iraqis hoped that the Eid will bring a relative lull in bombings and suicide attacks that marred the fasting month of Ramadan. "Ramadan month was hard on Iraq, so God willing the Eid will bring relief to Iraqis following an improvement in the security situation. Today is the first day of Eid and the security situation is good thanks to God and people want to feel secure and God willing this Eid will bring them relief from bombings, sadness and fear," said Hassan Karim. In Sunday's bloodiest attack, gunmen in five sedans ambushed a convoy of buses carrying police recruits near the city of Baquba 60 km northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 13 and wounding 25 others, said a local official . The recruits were returning home after an induction ceremony at a police base south of Baquba.

ITN Source | October 23, 2006

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