Eid Al Fitr: Islam Celebrates End Of Ramadan
Muslims around the world are celebrating the end of their holy month, during which they fast in daylight hours.
Thursday 8 August 2013 16:24, UK
Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world are celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan - as they take part in the Eid al Fitr festival.
Many of those in countries where Islam is popular are on the move as they travel to be with family at such an important time.
Eid al Fitr, which translates as the 'feast of the breaking of the fast', is a day when Muslims around the world are supposed to come together, in an act of unity.
Ramadan, the observance of which is essential for all Muslims according to the holy book the Koran, is a lunar month during which worshippers are supposed to pray at set times and fast during daylight hours.
With the end of Ramadan - which is said to have been the month when Mohammed received his first revelations - the emphasis is on celebration, usually with special meals, greetings, and sometimes with gifts of presents or to charity.
US President Barack Obama was among those sending greetings to Muslim celebrating Eid, calling it "part of a great tapestry of America's many traditions".
He said: "Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al Fitr in the United States and around the world.
"For millions of Americans, Eid is part of a great tapestry of America's many traditions, and I wish all Muslims a blessed and joyful celebration.
"Eid Mubarak," Mr Obama said, using the traditional Arabic phrase which celebrators say to one another.
His statement came as the US offered £125m in food aid for Syrians affected by the civil war.
Businesses in the United Arab Emirates were gearing up for a bumper festival season with hotels expecting to be full as many take holiday.
In Australia, thousands packed into Sydney's Lakemba mosque with tens of thousands more outside for morning prayers at 7am.
Bert Noah told a local radio station: "When you walk out of the mosque after prayers you see your cousins, your friends. Eid celebrations are about family and community."
President Bashar al Assad of Syria, fresh from an alleged attempt on his life by rebels, attended an Eid ceremony in the capital Damascus.
Despite reports his motorcade had come under attack, he appeared alongside the Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmed Hassun.
In Egpyt, where supporters of Mohamed Morsi have been demonstrating, the military, which has been threatening to remove them, stayed at a distance as they held a festive rally in support of the former president.
In Turkey, where more protests have rocked what was thought to be one of the most stable countries in the Middle East, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also issued a special message saying all Muslims were representatives of a civilization, the spirit of which brought people together.
In Afghanistan, where 14 members of a single family were killed, the country's president used his Eid message to urge the Taliban to lay down their arms.
The family was getting together to mark the start of Eid with a visit to the tombs of a relative.
In Afghanistan, it is customary for families to visit the graves of loved ones on holiday occasions. One of the surviving relatives blamed the Taliban.
Earlier, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, in his own Eid message, had called on Afghans to boycott next year's April 5 presidential elections, calling them "a waste of time".
In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation with more than 200 million followers, throngs of believers went to mosques for the start of Eid al Fitr.