VARIOUS: Muslims mark the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the festival of Eid el-Fitr

Muslims mark the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the festival of Eid el-Fitr. Thousands of Muslims gathered in a park in the Phillippines capital of Manila on Friday (October 12) to celebrate Eid el-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Muslim families joined the dawn prayers, some arriving as early as five o'clock in the morning to secure a good spot in the open grounds. Enterprising non-Muslims capitalised on the big crowd by selling snacks and makeshift prayer mats. Eid-al-Fitr was only declared a public holiday in the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Event organizer Kim Edres said that holding the event in the park would forge a better understanding of Islamic traditions among non-Muslims. Muslims comprise around 5 percent of the Philippines' population of 89 million, and most are concentrated in the southern islands of Mindanao. Meanwhile in the West Bank city of Hebron, residents marked the end of by praying at the Ibraheemi mosque, a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews, where Abraham is said to be buried. Eid el-Fitr is not only a day of prayers but also a day of celebration. Stalls selling children's toys were set up along the road from the mosque to the ancient Islamic cemetery at Jerusalem's Lions Gate. And in Bangladesh millions were homeward bound on Friday (October 12) to celebrate the Eid. The traditional mass exodus from cities including the capital Dhaka caused chaotic scenes at ferry ports and bus and railway stations with migrant workers and their families clamouring to secure limited places. "Once in a year we go home during the Eid festival. I am going by ferry but I could not board from the terminal because of the number of people there, so we are going by a boat to get to the ferry," said Mujubul Hoq, one Bangladeshi keen to return to his hometown. The bustling city will have some tranquility when nearly half of Dhaka's 11 million residents leave by Saturday (October 13) as they began a four-day holiday. Needless to say, many are facing difficulties just getting on the public transport. "I am waiting for the train to go home to celebrate Eid, but I don't know how I will get a seat in the train because they are overcrowded," said Baishakhi Begum, who is also returning home. Eid el-Fitr, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar, is expected to be celebrated in Bangladesh on Sunday (October 14), depending on the sighting of the new moon. The government will announce the exact date of the festival.

ITN Source | October 12, 2007

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