Muslims to mark Eid from Wednesday amid deadly attacks

The Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan will start on Wednesday in Gulf states and Yemen, as the region mourns a series of deadly attacks.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

05 July, 2016

The crescent moon which marks the new lunar month was not sighted on Monday [Getty]

The Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan will start on Wednesday in Gulf states and Yemen, as the region reels from a series of deadly attacks.

The crescent moon which marks the new lunar month was not sighted on Monday night, and Tuesday would therefore be considered the 30th and final day of Ramadan, the dawn-to-dusk month of fasting.

The official news agencies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Yemen all quoted religious authorities as saying that the annual feast will begin on Wednesday.

However, as the world prepares for Eid celebrations after a month of worship, thousands of people are being forced to mourn the hundreds of victims of the latest series of deadly militant attacks.

In Pictures: Muslims around the world prepare for Eid

On Sunday, more than 200 Eid shoppers were killed in the upmarket Iraqi Karrada district by a massive suicide bombing.

In June alone, 662 Iraqis – half of whom were civilians –were killed while 1,457 more were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and conflict, figures from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq suggest.

At least four people died in suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia on Monday following attacks on the holy city of Medina, Qatif and Jeddah.

Twenty foreigners were killed by their captors after being taken hostage at a cafe in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka over the weekend.

Also a week ago, a triple suicide bombing and gun attack left 44 dead and more than 200 injured at Istanbul's international airport.