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Saturday, 22 April 2023

Muslims around the world begin celebrating Eid al-Fitr

INDONESIA: Muslims participate in morning prayers celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at the Parangkusumo sand dunes in Bantul on Friday

Muslims in Indonesia and the rest of the world today ushered in the holiday of Eid al-Fitr after marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, and other Sunni Muslim countries including the United Arab Emirates and Jordan begin their celebrations today while those in Shiite Muslim majority nations will start the holiday on Saturday.

'Friday is the first day of Eid al-Fitr for this year,' with Thursday the last day of the holiday month of Ramadan, Saudi Arabia's royal court said.

INDONESIA: An aerial view of muslims performing the Eid Al-Fitr prayer in Tanah Datar District, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on Friday

SAUDI ARABIA: Muslim worshippers pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Friday

JERUSALEM: Palestinians attend Eid al-Fitr holiday celebrations by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, on Friday

KUWAIT: Muslims gather to perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer outside during the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Hawally, Kuwait on Friday

QATAR: Muslims arrive for Eid al-Fitr prayers at one of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadium at Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Friday

SYRIA: Syrian Muslims gather to perform Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Idlib Stadium in Idlib, Syria on April 21, 2023

ALBANIA: Albanian Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, on Friday

AFGHANISTAN: Muslims attend Eid al-Fitr prayers at a Mosque in Kabul on Friday

KYRGYZSTAN: Muslims perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer during the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Friday

IRAQ: Sunni worshippers attend Eid al-Fitr prayer marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Mosul, Iraq, on Friday

TEHRAN (Tasnim), Iran– The Muslim people in Iran are celebrating Eid al-Fitr on Saturday at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, after the new crescent moon of the lunar month of Shawwal was sighted on Friday night.

FILE IMAGE: Residents offering Eid Al Fitr prayer at Al Noor mosque in Sharjah UEA Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News archives

India celebrates "Eid-ul-Fitr" with prayers and festivities on Saturday.(HT Photo/Raj K Raj)

Large crowds of Muslim men kneel shoulder-to-shoulder in prayer outside a mosque in Moscow. Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency

LIBYA: Men dressed in traditional costumes perform a folk dance during a carnival to celebrate Eid El Fitr in a public square in Benghazi on Friday

TURKEY: Muslims attend Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Fatih mosque in Istanbul

EGYPT: People attend an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, outside El-Seddik Mosque in Cairo

LEBANON: People attend Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, outside Al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut on Friday

'Friday is the first day of Eid al-Fitr for this year,' with Thursday the last day of the holiday month of Ramadan, Saudi Arabia's royal court said.

The timing of Eid al-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar. But Muslim religious authorities tend to disagree on the sighting of the moon, meaning Eid can be begin on different days for Sunnis and Shiites.

Ramadan sees worshippers fasting daily from dawn to sunset, ending with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is normally celebrated with family gatherings.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Sudan also announced Eid al-Fitr will start on Friday.

Libya, ruled by two rival administrations, will mark Eid on Friday in the country's east and on Saturday in areas under the control of the Tripoli-based government.

Statements from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iraq's highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, said Eid would start on Saturday in their countries.

UAE astronaut Sultan al Neyadi spends Eid el-Fitr above Earth. He sent his best wishes from everyone at the Space Station. He said: 'Happy Eid el-Fitr, may you be blessed and best wishes from Sultan al-Neyadi, International Space Station

Iraq's Sunni authorities announced the holiday would begin Friday, while the country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, set a Saturday start date.

The governments of Lebanon and Syria, both in the throes of crippling economic crises, said Friday would mark the beginning of the dayslong holiday.

In Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population worldwide, the second-largest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah - with over 60 million members - said that according to its astronomical calculations, the holiday of Eid al-Fitr starts on Friday.

However, the country's religious affairs minister had announced on Thursday that the start of the holiday would fall on Saturday.

The daytime fasting month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening.

It is also a time for prayer, with the faithful converging in large numbers on mosques, especially at night.

Fasting is widely practised in Saudi Arabia, home of the holiest shrines in Islam in Mecca and Medina.

Saudis are expected to observe a four-day holiday for Eid al-Fitr.

This year again, the holiday comes amid fighting and devastation, particularly in the Middle East.

In Sudan, the holiday was eclipsed by raging battles between the army and its rival paramilitary force, despite two attempted cease-fires. The fighting since Saturday has killed hundreds of people and wounded thousands.

In Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished nation, a stampede late Wednesday at a charitable event in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa killed at least 78 people and injured 77.

In some places, tensions and fighting had calmed. Long-time Mideast rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties after China-brokered negotiations - an ongoing reconciliation that has deescalated proxy wars in the region.

Saudi officials and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen recently began talks in Sanaa and during the last days of Ramadan exchanged hundreds of prisoners captured in Yemen's civil war, which erupted in 2014.

Riyadh also sent its top diplomat to Syria to meet with President Bashar Assad on Tuesday, a significant step towards ending his political isolation and potentially returning the war-torn country to the Arab League.

However, Tehran and Riyadh disagreed on the start of the holiday - for Saudis, Eid al-Fitr would begin Friday while officials in Iran said it starts on Saturday.

The start of the holiday is traditionally based on sightings of the new moon, which vary according to geographic location, while some countries rely on astronomical calculations rather than physical sightings to determine the start of Eid al-Fitr.

United Arab Emirates and Qatar followed Saudi Arabia and announced the holiday would begin for them on Friday, while their Gulf Arab neighbor, Oman, declared that the moon had not been sighted and the holiday would begin on Saturday.

Indonesia's Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud called on Muslims to be respectful of each other's celebrations, and asked Muhammadiyah members to have their holiday feasts at home - in consideration of the Muslims who would still be fasting on Friday.

The country's roads and highways were gridlocked as millions crammed into trains, ferries, busses and on motorcycles, as they left cities to return to their villages to celebrate with family.

The government estimated that more than 123 million travellers were expected to crisscross the vast archipelago that spans 17,000 islands, with about 18 million departing from Jakarta's greater metropolitan area.

Meanwhile, clerics of Pakistan's state-backed moon sighting committee announced at a news conference in Islamabad that Eid al-Fitr would be celebrated on Saturday in Pakistan as there were no sightings of the moon there.

Egypt and Jordan said that for them, Eid al-Fitr would begin on Friday. In divided Libya, the religious authorities based in the capital of Tripoli, said it would start on Saturday. In the country's east, run by a rival administration, authorities marked Friday as the start.

Suasana terkini jelang shalat Id di Masjid Istiqlal Jakarta

Umat Islam sudah memadati kawasan Masjid Istiqlal Jakarta sejak sekitar pukul 5 pagi, hari Sabtu, 22/04/2023, untuk melaksanakan shalat Idul Fitri 1444 Hijriyah.

Masjid Istiqlal dipadati jemaah yang hendak menunaikan Salat Id pagi ini. Jemaah nampak tertib mengantre masuk area Masjid Istiqlal.

Hari Sabtu, 22/04/2023, pukul 06.18 WIB, sejumlah penjual alas salat lalu lalang menawarkan dagangannya. Pun pedagang kantong kresek.

Sementara itu jemaah yang datang terlihat bersama keluarganya. Jemaah juga mengabadikan momen jelang Salat Id di Istiqlal dengan berfoto dan merekam video

Tampak di sekitar area Masjid Istiqlal kini petugas kepolisian dan TNI melakukan penjagaan. Sejumlah kendaraan taktis pun terlihat parkir di sekeliling Masjid Istiqlal.

Dari gerbang utama, mereka harus berjalan ke kanan sampai menemukan tenda merah putih.

Di tempat tersebut, jemaah harus antre dan memasukkan tas ke alat detector yang sudah disiapkan Paspampres bersama tim dari Masjid Istiqlal.

Barulah setelah itu, jemaah yang sudah wudhu diperkenankan naik melewati pintu Al-Fattah yang berada tak jauh dari pintu detector.

Sementara mereka yang belum berwudhu, dipersilakan mengambil wudhu melewati pintu Al-Qudus, yang berada di sisi kanan pintu Al-Fattah.

Setelah itu, jemaah menempati saf salat yang telah disediakan.

Ada beberapa tempat di Masjid Istiqlal yang bisa dipakai untuk melaksanakan salat Id.

Di antaranya, gedung utama yang dibagi dua bagian. Sebelah kanan untuk jemaah laki-laki hingga selasar masjid dan sebelah kiri digunakan untuk jemaah perempuan hingga selasar masjid.

Tak hanya itu, jemaah juga bisa menempati area lantai dua hingga lima apabila di gedung utama tak mencukupi.

Salah satu jemaah, Fatma (43) bahkan rela menginap sejak kemarin demi bisa melaksanakan salat Id di Masjid Istiqlal.

Menurutnya, keindahan langit-langit Masjid Istiqlal serta kumandang takbir yang kerap didengarnya lewat televisi menjadi motivasinya melaksanakan salat Id di masjid terbesar se-Asia Tenggara itu.

"Dari rumah pukul 15.00 WIB kemarin, menginap di sini. Milih salat di sini karena menarik tempatnya, mewah, aku selalu lihat di TV aja walau rumah dekat. Jadi penasaran, semangat aja gitu," ujar Fatma saat ditemui di gedung utama Masjid Istiqlal, Sabtu.

Terlebih, kata Fatma, Idul Fitri adalah momen kemenangan bagi umat muslim setelah melaksanakan puasa Ramadan satu bulan penuh.

"Alhamdulillah senang. Terima kasih sama Allah sudah dikasih kesempatan salat Id di sini, saya juga tadi mandangin langit itu (Masjid Istiqlal) Ya Allah, mudah-mudahan tahun depan bisa ke sini lagi," ucap Fatma berkaca-kaca.

Untuk diketahui, Istiqlal akan melaksanakan salat Id tepat pada pukul 07.00 WIB.

Wakil Presiden Indonesia, Ma'ruf Amin dikabarkan hadir dan melaksanakan salat di masjid tersebut.

Sementara yang akan menjadi imam adalah Ustaz Ahmad Muzakir dan khatibnya merupakan Rektor UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saefudin Jahar.

Saudi crown prince, Russian president speak in phone call

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. (SPA/AFP/File Photos)

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the telephone conversation, the Russian President congratulated the crown prince on Eid Al-Fitr.

The two sides also reviewed relations between the Kingdom and Russia and ways of developing them in various fields and discussed several issues of common interest.

The two expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the two countries to bring stability to the global oil market, a Kremlin statement said, adding Putin and the prince “also forged close business relations.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shared their mutual satisfaction with oil prices in a phone call on Friday, as they agreed to advance cooperation in an energy partnership that has irked Washington

"The conversation proceeded in a friendly manner, was constructive and informative. With this in mind, it was agreed to build up contacts in specific areas of cooperation," the Kremlin said.

The call comes weeks after Riyadh corralled members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to enact a "voluntary" cut in crude production of nearly 1.2 million barrels a day.

The surprise move blindsided both Washington and market speculators who had bet on oil prices falling amid concerns about the health of global economy. The International Energy Agency warned that the cut would worsen a global oil deficit, driving inflation higher.

The price of benchmark West Texas Intermediate is at just below $79, down from over $118 last May.

Saudi Arabia's decision to restrict supply has also been described by analysts as a win for Putin, who needs strong oil prices to support his war in Ukraine. Saudi Arabia, like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, has rebuffed Washington's pleas to isolate the Kremlin, offering Moscow a financial and diplomatic lifeline.

Coordination between Saudi Arabia and Moscow on oil prices is all the more remarkable considering the two countries engaged in a bitter price war just a few years ago that saw crude prices briefly touch below $0 per barrel.

In March 2020, with crude prices already under pressure as result of the coronavirus pandemic, Putin held a phone call with Mohammed bin Salman to discuss production. MEE revealed how the call degenerated into a shouting match.

"The conversation was very personal. They shouted at each other. Putin refused the ultimatum and the call ended badly," a Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told MEE at the time.

Following the spat, Riyadh decided to flood the market with oil. The move prompted then US President Donald Trump to intervene, along with western countries, to eventually convince Saudi Arabia and Russia to slash production and support prices.

Saudi-US fault lines

More recently, oil production has emerged as one of the many fault lines in the Biden administration's ties to Riyadh.

In addition to working with Russia on the global oil market, Mohammed Bin Salman has agreed to reestablish relations with Iran in a deal brokered by China and is seeking to rehabilitate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While Russia may benefit from some of these initiatives, Damascus is a key Russian ally in the region and the Kremlin is close to Tehran and Beijing, the global oil market highlights how Riyadh's own self-interest is propelling ties. Some analysts also see potential pitfalls ahead in the relationship.

Gulf states have traded places with Russia in the global energy trade, with Riyadh redirecting sales to Europe, while Moscow muscles in on their traditional customers in Asia with cut-rate prices.

"Europe is yesterday's oil market. It's rushing to get off fossil fuels as quickly as possible," Jim Krane, an energy expert and fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute, told MEE last year.

"Saudi Arabia doesn't want to be losing market share in the big growth markets of Asia and trading them for stagnant to declining European markets," Krane said.

But production cuts keep both Riyadh and the Kremlin happy.

Saudi Arabia is using its windfall in oil revenues to pursue mega-projects like the futuristic city of Neom and a new airline, which are designed to diversify its economy away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, higher prices help to boost Russia's war chest.

Russian air defenses intercept three US-made HIMARS rockets in Ukraine operation

Russian air defense forces intercepted three rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.

"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities intercepted three rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. In addition, they destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Opytnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Reshetilovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region and Kakhovka in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.

Russian forces neutralize four Ukrainian subversive groups in Kupyansk area

Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Kupyansk area and neutralized four enemy subversive groups over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup struck enemy units. The activity of four Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance groups was thwarted," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Kislovka, the general said.

The strikes eliminated "over 60 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle, three motor vehicles, a D-20 howitzer and an Akatsiya motorized artillery gun," Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces eliminate over 55 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area

Russian combat aircraft and artillery struck Ukrainian army units in the Krasny Liman area, destroying over 55 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, assault and army aviation aircraft and artillery from the battlegroup Center struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Chervonopopovka and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Grigorovka and Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The strikes "destroyed over 55 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, a D-20 howitzer and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun" in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.

Russian forces destroy over 300 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk advance

Russian forces destroyed over 300 Ukrainian troops in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"As many as 310 Ukrainian personnel, four armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, a Msta-B howitzer and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun were destroyed [in the Donetsk direction] in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.

Russian forces eliminate 90 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces eliminated roughly 90 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems from the battlegroup East inflicted damage on the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Ugledar and Prechistovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Chervonoye in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman specified.

"The enemy’s losses in those directions in the past 24 hours totaled as many as 90 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three pickup trucks and a Msta-B howitzer," the general reported.

Russian forces destroy 10 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area

Russian combat aircraft and artillery struck Ukrainian army units in the Kherson area, destroying ten enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, air and artillery strikes destroyed ten Ukrainian personnel and two motor vehicles," the spokesman said.

Russian forces wipe out two Ukrainian ammo depots in Zaporozhye area

Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian ammunition depots in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In areas near the settlements of Gulyaipole and Poltavka in the Zaporozhye Region, two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army’s 65th mechanized and 44th artillery brigades were destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy Ukrainian army’s fuel depot in DPR

Russian forces destroyed a fuel depot of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the area of the settlement of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a depot storing fuel for Ukrainian military hardware was obliterated," the spokesman said.

During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 94 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 135 areas, the general said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 411 Ukrainian warplanes, 228 helicopters, 3,782 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,773 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,091 multiple rocket launchers, 4,633 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,650 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

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