Posts tagged "Eid"

“Wahhabis” Suspected in Killing of Muslim Cleric

by Abdullah on Sep 21, 2009 Eid, Islam, Muslims, North America, Terrorism, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, Islam, Muslims, North America, Terrorism, world

Ismail Bostanov

The Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Stavropol, Ismail Bostanov, was murdered in the city of Cherkessk on Sunday (September 20). Interfax quoted a law enforcement source in Karachaevo-Cherkessia as saying the attack took place when Bostanov’s was stopped at a traffic light and unidentified attackers opened fire on him. Bostanov was killed and his son was wounded and hospitalized (Interfax, September 20). According to other reports, the attack took place at a gas station (RIA Novosti, September 20). Bostanov was reportedly traveling back from a mosque in Ust-Dzheguta, south of Cherkessk, with his son when the attack occurred (www.newsru.com, September 20).

Bostanov was the Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Stavropol for over 20 years and rector of the Islamic Institute in Karachaevo-Cherkessia for more than 10 years (www.gazeta.ru, RIA Novosti, September 20). In December 2006, three masked attackers broke into Bostanov’s home in Cherkessk, knifed and shot him and with firearms and beat up his wife. However, investigators at the time concluded that attack was part of an attempted robbery because the raiders stole money from Bostanov’s house (Kommersant, September 21).

Ismail Berdiev, who is the mufti of Karachaevo-Cherkessia and head of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus, said yesterday that he is convinced that Bostanov was killed by “Wahhabis” -the standard term used by local officials in the North Caucasus, both governmental and religious, for Islamist rebels and their sympathizers. “And who else could it have been -he was not a businessman, so that it could have entered someone’s mind to kill him for the sake of money,” Berdiev told Interfax, adding that Bostanov was known in Karachaevo-Cherkessia as “an active fighter against the spread of Wahhabi ideology.” Berdiev expressed particular indignation over the fact that Bostanov’s murder took place on the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan (Eid Al-Fitr started Sunday, September 20, in most Arab and Muslim countries as well as in North America and Europe). “It simply beggars the imagination that someone dared to commit this heinous crime on such a holy day,” Berdiev said (www.newsru.com, September 20). (more…)

Eid-ul-Azha on Nov 17

by Abdullah on Nov 7, 2010 Eid, Islam, Muslims, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, fun, Islam, Muslims, world

The second largest Muslim religious festival, Eid-ul-Azha, will be celebrated on Nov 17.

The declaration was made by the national moon-sighting committee following a meeting at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on Sunday.

State minister for religious affairs Mohammad Shahjahan Mia told bdnews24.com, “The moon has been sighted at various parts of the country. The national moon-sighting committee has set the date for Eid-ul-Azha on Nov 17.”

Expats enjoy Eid too!

by Abdurrahman on Sep 21, 2009 Eid, Family, Islam, Knowledge, Muslims, Pakistan, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, fun, Islam, Muslims, Pakistan, world

Itâ€™s that time of the year again: Eidul Fitr. For many of us this will mean our Rooh Afza bottles will gather dust until next Ramadan and the smells of samosa, pakora and jalebi will be all too infrequent in the ensuing months. Our fitness and nutrition goals, understandably put on hold, will have to endure a prolonged hiatus as we indulge in Eid festivities.

For Muslims in the diaspora, Eid is just as much of a joyous occasion as for those back home; unless you have midterm exams or didnâ€™t even realise it was Ramadan already. Much like in Pakistan, here too people meet with friends and relatives, throw huge dinners where pot-bellied uncles try to out-brag each other based on their kidsâ€™ achievements. Those who still donâ€™t feel like its Eid have a variety of melas and concerts to choose from, which, upon visiting, will magically create a more homely atmosphere.

This year, the Muslim community in Toronto was set to have quite a bash. After all, mummy and daddy didnâ€™t have to go back to work after Eid namaz nor did uncles and aunties get a convenient excuse for denying kids their Eidi. Yes, indeed, Eid coincided with the holiest of holyâ€™s: the North American weekend. Eid may be celebrated on Monday in Pakistan, but here church bells and azaans united to make for a divine cacophony in the wee hours of Sunday morning, awakening unassuming sinners from their drunken stupors from the previous night out. (more…)

In pictures: Eid celebrations

by Abdullah on Sep 20, 2009 Eid, Islam, Knowledge, Muslims, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, Islam, Muslims, world

: Near the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, dozens of people prayed at dawn to mark the festival, which is determined by the sighting of the new moon. It means the end of a month of fasting during daylight hours.

: And in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, this little boy joined crowds of adults in the Masjid Noor outdoor area for prayers.

: Eid is being marked on Monday in some parts of the world, such as Srinagar, where this young Indian girl had her hand decorated for the festival.

: In Algeria, this woman marked the day with a visit to a relative’s grave – a traditional Eid activity.

: These two Egyptian girls wore masks to protect against swine flu as they attended dawn prayers at a stadium in the city of Mansura.

: Palestinian children in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza also wore their finery, despite the destruction surrounding them.

: This trio dressed up for a visit to the Abu Hanifa mosque in Azamiyah, north of the Iraq capital, Baghdad.

: For many, like these two men in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, it was a happy day to be spent with friends and family.

Lamb sacrifice fines worry Ottawa Muslims

by Abdullah on Nov 7, 2010 Canada, Eid, Islam, Muslims, North America • Comments Closed • Canada, Eid, Islam, Muslims, Protest, world

Muslims around the world, like these people in Senegal, will celebrate Eid al-Adha this November, a tradition that includes sacrificing lambs.

Some Muslims in Canada’s capital region are worried that they may be fined for sacrificing lambs during November’s Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Since 2005 it has been illegal in Ontario for anyone but the owner of a licensed abattoir to buy livestock and slaughter it independently. Last fall, a Muslim man was fined $2,000 for slaughtering and distributing lamb, and another man is scheduled to appear in court next week for killing a pig.

Abed Abufarha used to celebrate Eid by going to farms to slaughter lambs himself. But this year he will head to an abattoir in Pakenham, Ont., to get his lamb meat. He said the regulations have changed a tradition he used to bring his family to.

“It’s getting really serious. They’re just so sharp about it. They want to stop it right away,” said Abufarha. “There’s big fines for slaughtering meat outside of a slaughterhouse.”

Many Muslims in the Ottawa area have begun booking lambs to sacrifice for their Eid feast on Nov. 16, and say they’ll risk killing the animals themselves. Akram Elmuradi has already paid for 10 live lambs he plans to sacrifice with friends.

“I myself take joy in the kill itself,” Elmuradi said. “It’s a tradition. … Nobody’s going to stop you from doing something you believe in.”

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says it only investigates if a complaint is filed. Still, the penalties can be severe. The maximum fine under the Food Safety and Quality act is $25,000.

Many Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha under hardship

by Abdullah on Nov 28, 2009 Islam, Muslims, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, fun, Islam, Muslims, world

Muslims around the world end fast, usher in Eid

by Abdullah on Sep 21, 2009 Eid, Fadhaail, Family, Islam, Knowledge, Muslims, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, Fadhaail, fun, Islam, Muslims, Ramadan, world

Egyptian women perform the Eid al-Fitr dawn prayer at a stadium in Mansura, 120 km north of Cairo.

Muslims around the world woke up Sunday and welcomed the end of a long month of fasting with hearty greetings of “Eid Mubarak,” or happy festivities.

The faithful were ushering in Eid al-Fitr — three days of celebrations that Muslims mark with joyous community prayers, acts of charity, visits from far-flung relatives, gift-giving and elaborate feasts.

“Think Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s — all rolled into one. It’s that huge for us,” said Sajjad Aziz of Hoboken, New Jersey.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, and the timing of Eid al-Fitr varies around the world depending on when the crescent of a new moon is sighted.

So, while most countries — including the United States — observed Eid on Sunday, some will begin their celebrations on Monday.

The night before Eid, entire communities gather on rooftops, scanning the sky with giddy anticipation.

“It only needs one sighting of the moon in the whole country, and the whole nation erupts in cheers,” said Qazi Arif, 35, of Sirajgong, Bangladesh. “It’s a divine feeling, hard to describe.”

Eid al-Fitr bids goodbye to Ramadan — a month of dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food, drinks and other sensual pleasures. Muslims believe the Quran, the religion’s holy book, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago. (more…)

Science Gaining Ground in Fixing Eid Date

by Abdullah on Sep 14, 2009 Islam, Knowledge, Muslims, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, Knowledge, Muslims, North America, world

Eid Moon has been a contentious issue among the Muslims for long

Based on astronomical calculations, an increasing number of Muslims around the world is relying on scientific data to determine the Islamic lunar calendar, with a dominant bearing on fixing the date for the Eid-ul-Fitr, a festive occasion celebrated at the end of fasting month of Ramzan.

Throwing his weight behind this rising trend, Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, a top-ranking Shia religious authority based in Lebanon and having a world-wide following, cited scientific data to announce that September 19, Saturday, would be the last day of Ramzan, and the next day would be the first date of the Islamic lunar month of Shawwal.
Ayatollah Fadlullahâ€™s announcement of the Eid date almost a week in advance is a break with the tradition of high Islamic clergy and the practice prevailing among Muslims to rely on the actual sighting of the new moon.
His path-breaking move, appreciated widely,Â is also bound to spark off a heated debate among sub-continental Muslims particularly, the clergy and the laity alike, as the procedure for determining the beginning of the months of the Islamic lunar calendar have become a highly contentious issue, particularly on the advent of Eid-ul-Fitr, with the occasion having been celebrated on separate days in the same region.

In a statement issued today, the Ayatollah said: â€œBased on scientific astronomical data, the birth of the crescent of the month of Shawal this year (1430 H.) will take place on the evening of Friday, September 18, at exactly 21: 44 Beirut mean time (18: 44 GMT).â€ â€œThus, the ability of seeing the crescent would not be available on that night (Friday night), and since the beginning of the month of Ramadan was on Friday, the 21st of last August, then Saturday, the 19th of September, is the last day of the month of Ramadan. And Sunday, September 20, 2009 is the first day of the month of Shawwal; that is, the day of Eid Al-Fitr.â€ (more…)

Security ensured

by Abdurrahman on Nov 28, 2009 Islam, Muslims, Pakistan, World News • Comments Closed • Eid, fun, Islam, Muslims, Pakistan, world

Pakistanis buy goats at a market ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Karachi on November 23, 2009

Hundreds of thousands of faithful, accompanied by their children will throng the Eidgahs and mosques to offer Eid prayers. They will bow their heads and show allegiance to Allah Almighty.
Ulema and religious scholars highlighted the significance of Eid day and offered special prayers for the solidarity, integrity, prosperity and progress of the country and Muslim Ummah.
They will deliver special sermons to highlight the significance of the day and the purpose of the sacrifice rendered by Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) centuries ago. Eidul Azha is being celebrated in commemoration of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim’s (AS) readiness to sacrifice his son, Prophet Hazrat Ismail (AS), for Allah.
The special prayers will be offered for strengthening national solidarity, prosperity, integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and the liberation of all occupied Muslim territories including held Jammu and Kashmir and occupied Palestine.
The central Eid congregation will be held at Bagh-e-Jinnah (Polo Ground) where the top government officials, ministers, advisors, senior officials, diplomats of Islamic countries and other notables will offer Eid prayers. After Eid prayers, camels, cows, goats and sheep will be sacrificed to revive the Sunnah of the Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).
However, the other big congregations of Eidul Azha prayers will hold at Nishtar Park, Eidgah ground North Nazimabad, Aram Bagh Mosque, Kakri Ground, Shah-e-Khurasan Mosque, Jehangir Park Saddar, Faizan-e-Madina, Madni Masjid, Masjid-e-Shaoda-e-Karbala and others places where Khateebs will deliver special sermons about significance of the day and stressed the need for Ummah’s unity and for ending differences. Sindh police department has finalised the security plan to maintain law and order during the Eidul Azha celebrations across the Sindh province as well as in Karachi.