Millions of Muslims worldwide celebrated the festival at the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday as the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival began.
Eid al-Fitr festival traditionally means family gatherings and the exchange of gifts and a feast after a month of fasting from dawn until dusk.
Despite two deadly terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia and several others in Muslim countries — from Turkey and Bangladesh to Iraq, tens of thousands of worshipers gathered for Eid prayers at Islam’s second-holiest site, the Prophet’s Mosque in the Saudi city of Medina.
Millions of Muslims worldwide celebrated the Eid al-Fitr.
According to a report in the AFP, Sheikh Abdelbari al-Thabiti told the crowd gathered at the Prophet’s Mosque that the bombing was an “odious crime” carried out by “a group that no longer respects the rites of Allah or the sanctity of the Prophet’s Mosque.”
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman performed Eid prayer along with huge numbers of worshipers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, according to the Saudi Gazette, which reported mosque “was full to the brim. Even the courtyards surrounding the Grand Mosque were full.”
President Obama issued a statement from the White House on the Eid, sending “our warmest greetings to all those celebrating Eid al-Fitr in the United States and around the globe.”
“Muslim Americans have been part of our American family since its founding. This Eid, we recommit to protecting Muslim Americans against bigotry and xenophobia, while celebrating the contributions of Muslim Americans around the country, including one of our finest, the People’s Champion Muhammad Ali, to whom we bade farewell this Ramadan. Later this month, Michelle and I will host an Eid celebration at the White House and we look forward to welcoming Americans from around the country to celebrate the holiday.”
NBC News features 16 photos from around the world of the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
