Eid 2020: the Great Mosque of Mecca has been almost devoid of worshipers since March
Riyadh:
Muslims around the world have started a dark Eid al-Fitr Sunday, many under the control of the coronavirus, but lax restrictions have offered respite to worshipers in some countries despite fear of a outbreaks of infections.
The three-day festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is traditionally celebrated with prayers in the mosque, family celebrations and purchases of new clothes, gifts and treats.
But this year, the celebration is overshadowed by the rapidly spreading coronavirus, with many countries tightening lock restrictions after partial easing during Ramadan resulted in a sharp increase in infections.
Even more festive humidity, many countries – from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Turkey and Syria – have banned mass prayer gatherings to limit the spread of the disease.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, began a five-day 24-hour curfew starting on Saturday after infections more than quadrupled since the start of Ramadan to more than 70,000 – the highest in the gulf.
The Great Mosque in Mecca has been almost devoid of worshipers since March, with a breathtaking void enveloping the sacred Kaaba – the great cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims around the world pray.
But on Sunday, an imam stood on a podium while the Saudi security forces, some wearing masks, positioned themselves between rows of worshipers who gathered in front of the Kaaba for Eid prayers.
Scuffles in Jerusalem
At Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina, prayers were not allowed inside, although the site is expected to reopen after the festival of Eid.
At dawn, small scuffles broke out between the Israeli security forces and the faithful gathering around the mosque, although prayers were finally held outside, said an AFP photographer.
In Gaza, Hamas authorities allowed prayers in mosques despite the enclave’s first coronavirus death on Saturday, but the faithful mostly wore masks and placed their prayer rugs far away.
“Eid is not Eid with the crown atmosphere – people feel a sense of fear,” said Akram Taher.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire to mark Eid al-Fitr in a surprise move after months of bloody fighting with Afghan forces after the signing of a historic agreement with the United United.
The streets of Kabul were mostly empty as part of a strict lock, but some people ventured and greeted each other – some from a distance and others shaking hands and shaking hands despite calls to social distancing.
Fears of a “new peak”
Muslims across Asia – from Indonesia to Pakistan, Malaysia and Afghanistan – have invaded markets for Eid purchases, flouting coronavirus guidelines and sometimes even police attempts to disperse large crowds.
“For more than two months, my children were confined to the house,” said the mother of four, Ishrat Jahan, in a busy market in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.
“This holiday is for children, and if they cannot celebrate it with new clothes, there is no point in us working so hard all year round.”
The vacation started on a dismal note after a Pakistan International Airline plane crashed in southern Karachi on Friday, killing 97 people, many of whom were traveling to see family for vacation.
The English daily Dawn said that the accident and the pandemic had deprived Pakistan of the “little joy that remained ahead of the Eid festivities”.
In Indonesia – the most populous Muslim nation in the world – people have turned to smugglers and false travel documents to circumvent bans on the annual end of Ramadan trip that could explode infections.
In the conservative province of Aceh, large groups prayed with few masks and little social distancing, and the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in the provincial capital was crowded.
“I felt worried but as a Muslim I still had to perform mass Eid prayers as a form of gratitude to Allah,” said worshiper Arsi.
COVID-19 deaths in the Middle East and Asia have been lower than in Europe and the United States, but the numbers are increasing steadily, raising fears that the virus will often overwhelm health systems underfunded.
Frugal celebrations
Iran, which has experienced the deadliest epidemic in the Middle East, has called on its citizens to avoid traveling during Eid as it struggles to control infection rates.
Health Minister Saeed Namaki said the country was doing everything it could to avoid “new peaks of the disease” caused by people “not following health regulations”.
The United Arab Emirates has tightened their lock, which had been relaxed during Ramadan, but that hasn’t stopped some families from planning trips to luxury oceanfront hotels.
However, in many countries Muslims are ready for frugal celebrations against a background of increasing financial distress.
The double shock of coronavirus restrictions and falling oil prices plunged the Gulf region into the worst economic crisis in decades.
The closings hit businesses hard, including retailers who would normally prepare for the festive rush, as Muslims save their money for masks, gloves and other COVID-19 protective gear.
In the Syrian capital Damascus, Eid shoppers searched flea markets for garments at unbeatable prices as the war-torn and sanctions-torn country grapples with a deeper economic crisis .
“The flea market is the only place I can buy something new to wear for the Eid celebrations,” said 28-year-old Sham Alloush.
“Without this place, I could not have bought new clothes.”
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
