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Terror Networks & Islam | |||
Muslims End Ramadan Fast and Prepare for Three-Day Celebration | |||
2005-11-02 | |||
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Muslims in the Middle East and across the Islamic world ended their final sunrise-to-sunset fast and did last-minute shopping for sweets, clothes From the Philippines to Morocco, Muslims prepared for the Eid al-Fitr holiday - or started the celebrating right after their last sunset meal. In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, children paraded through the streets carrying candles. There were fireworks in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Stalls in street markets in Lebanon and Egypt were packed with multi-colored candies, and cooks made pastries of filo dough. Eid al-Fitr - Arabic for the "festival of breaking the fast" - is a time for family gatherings and meals that will leave the streets of Cairo and other Arab cities virtually empty Thursday. For the next two days, people flood parks and other public places, with children decked out in new clothes for the occasion. Observant Muslims refrain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the month in Islam's lunar calendar when it is believed that the first verses of the Quran - Islam's holy book - were revealed to the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. In the Iraqi capital, workers were making final adjustments to the Luna amusement park, where hundreds of families are expected to celebrate.
At the start of Ramadan, al-Qaida militants in Iraq called for stepped up attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces. Some extremists believe they receive additional blessings if they die fighting for Islam during Ramadan.
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Posted by:Steve |
#2 Some extremists believe they receive additional blessings if they die fighting for Islam during Ramadan. WTF, source? |
Posted by: Edward Yee 2005-11-02 19:09 |
#1 An amusement park in Baghdad - for those who don't get enough excitement commuting to work. |
Posted by: Super Hose 2005-11-02 16:56 |