Muslims around the world today celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar.
Reuters – Children attend prayers marking the Eid al-Adha celebration at an open prayer ground in Lagos, Nigeria.
Marking the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son on God’s command, Muslims mark the holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats. The meat is shared among family and friends and also donated to the poor.
The Muslim faithful across continents marked the festival which comes as the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia draws to a close.
In Jerusalem’s Old City, Palestinians flocked to the al-Aqsa mosque for prayers.
In Iraq, authorities adopted tough security measures during the festival, searching worshippers as they entered Abdul-Qadir al-Gilani mosque in Baghdad.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prayed at a mosque in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which was evacuated by rebels and surrendered to government control last month, state media reported.
In Asia, tens of thousands of people left Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on crowded trains and ferries for their home-towns to celebrate the holiday with family and friends, while in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Muslims attended morning prayers.
The festival was also celebrated across Africa, with the faithful in countries such as Somalia and Kenya attending mass prayers.
In Russia, thousands of Muslims gathered for prayers in Moscow.
In the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May released a video message to the country’s Muslim community. “I am proud of the contribution British Muslims make to this country and proud that Britain is home to people from vibrant and diverse backgrounds,” she said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby tweeted his good wishes:
Prayerful thoughts and greetings for all our Muslim brothers and sisters who are celebrating Eid al Adha. Eid Mubarak!
— Justin Welby ن (@JustinWelby) September 12, 2016
Additional reporting by Reuters.
