CAIRO — Millions of Muslims paid respects at ancestral graves, shared festive family meals and visited beaches and amusement parks Thursday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, but violence and political tension overshadowed holiday joy in hotspots like Egypt, Yemen and Afghanistan. The three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps Ramadan, also highlighted the long-running divide between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Sunnis began celebrating Thursday, while Shiites were to mark the holiday Friday, based on different views about sighting the moon.
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are a time of increased religious devotion, and some Muslims said they’re particularly distraught over discord among the faithful during the holiday season.
In Egypt, where rival political camps have been facing off since the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi last month, worshipper Medhat Abdel Moneam said he doesn’t like to see Muslims quarreling. Abdel Moneam was among hundreds of Morsi opponents performing prayers in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
“I am very sad about what is going on in Egypt,” he said of the showdown. “Today is Eid, and the Egyptian people are divided into two sides, two different thoughts, and it’s a shame because both sides are Muslims.”
For many of the world’s hundreds of millions of Muslims, Eid al-Fitr begins with a cemetery visit to pay respects to ancestors. In parts of the Middle East, people place palm fronds on graves.
In eastern Afghanistan, a bomb planted in a cemetery killed seven women and seven children from an extended family as they visited a relative’s grave. There was no claim of responsibility, but a man whose daughter was killed in the blast blamed Taliban insurgents.
In northern Iraq, police closed many streets in the mainly Sunni city of Mosul to prevent car bombs during the holiday.
In Syria, rebels fired rockets and mortar shells Thursday at an upscale neighborhood in the capital, Damascus, where President Bashar Assad attended Eid prayers.
In tent camps that have sprung up in neighboring countries, Syrian refugees marked the holiday with a mix of hope and despair.
“We wish in this Eid that God liberates Syria and to return safely to our country,” said Ibrahim Ismail, a refugee from Damascus, after he performed prayers with others in Jordan’s Zaatari camp. Yet, he said, “we feel truly sad because we are not at home.”
