Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr in the shadow of Gaza's misery

Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr in the shadow of Gaza’s misery

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Muslims around the world were celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Islamic holy month with prayers, family reunions, and sweet treats. But the celebrations were overshadowed by the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s expected offensive in the city of Rafah despite efforts from its Western allies to halt the fighting after six months of war. (AP video shot by Mohammad Habib Rahmani, Lujain Jo, Imad Issied, Mohsen Ganji and Mohammad Habib Rahmani)

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Muslims in Indonesia joined communal prayers shoulder-to-shoulder on the streets and inside mosques on Wednesday. Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, was flooded with devotees offering morning prayers. The Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan was celebrated on Wednesday with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats. (AP video/Andi Jatmiko)

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Muslims around Europe celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, marking the end of the Islamic holy month with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats. (AP video/Mehmet Guzel)

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Pakistani Muslims performed Eid al-Fitr prayers in parks and sports grounds in Karachi on Wednesday, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The prayer leaders prayed for the improvement in the conditions of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Video/Muhammad Farooq)

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In a cemetery in Deir Al-Balah, grieving mothers spent the first morning of Eid al-Fitr at the grave sides of their dead sons and daughters killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. After morning prayers, Muslims often visit the graves of deceased loved ones during the three day festival that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (AP Video by Abd Kareem Hana)

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Muslims attend prayers at National Mosque for the Eid al-Fitr, marking the end the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, April. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

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Muslim women perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, at historical Badshahi mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

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A worshipper performs an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslims’ holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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Muslims perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

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A Muslim child stands beside his father performing an Eid al-Fitr prayer with others, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

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A little girl takes part alongside men in Eid al-Fitr prayers in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Members of the Romanian Muslim community joined prayers at the Dinamo stadium in the Romanian capital, in the largest Muslim public gathering of the year. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

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Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan in Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

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Muslim men perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Muslims perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

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Muslims offer prayers at National Mosque for the Eid al-Fitr, marking the end the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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Palestinians gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers by the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. The holiday marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

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A Muslim woman shows her daughter how to pray as they attend prayers at National Mosque for the Eid al-Fitr, marking the end the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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Muslims pray outside a mosque as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslims’ holy fasting month of Ramadan, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

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A Bosnian Muslim man prays with his son during the first day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

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Muslim men offer the Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Niujie Mosque in Beijing, China, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

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Muslim women attend an Eid al-Fitr prayer marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

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Muslim children share Eid greeting after attending an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

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Palestinians visit the graves of their relatives who were killed in the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

By ANDREW WILKS and NINIEK KARMINI

ISTANBUL (AP) — Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday Wednesday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But events were overshadowed by the worsening crisis in Gaza and Israel’s expected military offensive in Rafah city after six months of war.

“We should not forget our brothers and sisters in Palestine,” one imam, Abdulrahman Musa, said in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. “They have been subjected to unjustified aggression and a lot of violence (as) the world is watching in silence.”

In a holiday message, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent support to Gaza, which he called a “bleeding wound on the conscience of humanity.”

In Istanbul, some of the thousands of worshipers at the Aya Sofya Mosque carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in support of residents of Gaza, where the United Nations warns that more than a million people are at threat of imminent famine and little aid is allowed in.

Inside Gaza, there was little joy. Palestinians in the refugee camp of Jabaliya near Gaza City mourned loved ones among the over 33,000 killed in Israel’s offensive in response to Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

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Om Nidal Abu Omeira sat alone among bombed-out buildings and wept on the grave of her mother, son-in-law, and grandson. All were killed in Israel’s offensive.

“They (the children) keep saying, ‘I miss my father, where is he?’ I tell them that he’s in heaven,” she told The Associated Press. “They start crying, and then I start crying with them.”

Elsewhere, people were grateful for the plenty they had after a month of fasting and reflection. Before the holiday, markets around the world teemed with shoppers. Residents poured out of cities to return to villages to celebrate with loved ones.

In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, nearly three-quarters of the population were traveling for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik.”

“This is a right moment to reconnect, like recharging energy that has been drained almost a year away from home,” said civil servant Ridho Alfian.

Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, was flooded with devotees. Preachers in their sermons called on people to pray for Muslims in Gaza.

“This is the time for Muslims and non-Muslims to show humanitarian solidarity, because the conflict in Gaza is not a religious war, but a humanitarian problem,” said Jimly Asshiddiqie, who chairs the advisory board of the Indonesian Mosque Council.

In Berlin, worshipers reflected the world, coming from Benin, Ghana, Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.

“It’s a day where we feel grateful for everything we have here, and think and give to those who are poor, facing war and have to go hungry,” said Azhra Ahmad, a 45-year-old mother of five.

In Pakistan, authorities deployed more than 100,000 police and paramilitary forces to maintain security at mosques and marketplaces.

In Malaysia, ethnic Malay Muslims performed morning prayers at mosques nationwide just weeks after socks printed with the word “Allah” at a convenience store chain sparked a furor. Many found it offensive.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for unity and reconciliation, saying no groups should be sidelined based on religion or any other reason.

In Russia, worshipers gathered as their leaders vowed loyalty to fellow citizens amid tensions following last month’s attack by an extremist group on a music hall outside Moscow in which 130 people were killed. The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility.

“As our country’s president, Vladimir Putin, said, terrorism has neither a nationality nor a religion, the chairman of the Council of Muftis in Russia said. “We call to unite against the threat, against those dark forces.”

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Karmini contributed from Jakarta along with Associated Press journalists around the world.