Saudi Arabia’s king Salman bin Abdulaziz, 84, whose country is home to two of Islam’s holiest sites, tweeted his congratulations on the holidays a day after leaving the hospital in Riyadh. Hajj pilgrimage takes place in the country with significantly reduced assistance.
In Istanbul, Muslims held Eid al-Adha’s prayer in Hagia Sophia for the first time since historical construction was transformed into a mosque this month after a court ruling that overturned the prestige of its museum that generated complaints from Western countries.
In Lebanon, devastated by the economic crisis, many have struggled with the classical customs of the Eid. In Tripoli, the largest city in the country at the time, there were no decorations, no flashing lights, no electric power to force them.
Instead, a sign read, “We’re broke.”
Around the world, it has had to adapt to the realities of coronavirus.
In Indonesia, the ministry has asked mosques to shorten ceremonies, while many have canceled the ritual of slaughtering livestock and distributing meat to the community.
Instead, sheep, goats, and cows were sacrificed in slaughterhouses to commemorate the “Feast of Sacrifice,” celebrated through muslims to commemorate the prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail at the behest of God.
“This year’s Eid al-Adha is very different from that of years since we have to stick to fitness protocols as we pray, like keeping social distance,” said Devita Ilhami, 30, who works at the Sunda Kelapa Mosque in Jakarta.
She said they had to bring their own prayer mats, with markers on the floor to show where they would be placed.
Elsewhere in Asia, Muslims, in addition to Thailand and Malaysia, have prayed inside or outside mosques dressed in masks.
In Malaysia, although some mosques canceled the farm animal slaughter ritual, thirteen cows were slaughtered in the classic way, but in accordance with regulations restricting the number of animals and others at the Tengku Abdul Aziz Shah Jamek mosque in Kuala Lumpur.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani attended prayers in Kabul. Taliban Islamist militants say they will practice a three-day ceasefire during the holidays, which will provide a respite after weeks of violence.
In India, where the Eid will be held basically from Saturday, several states have restrictions on coronaviruses to allow worshippers to gather in mosques in limited quantities.
“Only small teams of worshippers will be able to enter mosques,” said Shafique Qasim, a high-ranking cleric at The Nakhoda Mosque in the eastern city of Kolkata.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Irish Muslims held prayers to commemorate the Eid al-Adha festival on Friday at Dublin’s Croke Park Gaelic sports stadium, a site of historical significance for Irish nationalists who have had a deep connection to the once dominant Catholic Church.
Some 200 Muslims placed prayer mats in the box commonly used for national Gaelic football and launch sports and where, in 1920, British troops opened fire to a crowd, killing 14 other people in the Irish War of Independence.
Since Muslims were unable to organize giant meetings in mosques due to Covid-19 social estrangement regulations, Shaykh Umar al-Qadri, president of the Irish Council for Peace and Muslim Integration, approached control of Croke Park, which he said had hesitated to propose a place.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins described the occasion as a vital moment in the Irish narrative. Leaders of the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religions attended and spoke on the occasion, which was broadcast live on television for the first time.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)