Iraq’s Sunnis celebrate Eid festival amid security
Iraq’s Sunnis on Tuesday marked the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which ends the fasting month of Ramadan, by filling mosques in greater numbers than in previous years due to the drop in violence.
Thousands across the country filled mosques at dawn and visited the graves of loved ones as they began the three-day festival marking the end of the holy month.
In Baghdad’s northern Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, about 15,000 worshippers gathered at sunrise in the revered Sunni shrine of Abu Hanifa as U.S.-backed Sunni security forces known as Sons of Iraq stood guard at the shrine and a nearby cemetery.
“We are happy that we can leave our houses to perform prayers and visit our late beloved ones as we were not able to do so in the past,” said Umm Ammar, a 54-year old resident of Azamiyah who attended the early morning ceremony. “We pray to God that we will keep living in such an atmosphere with security all over the country.”
Violence has fallen sharply in Iraq over the past year, an improvement credited in part to a U.S. troop buildup as well as the decision by Sunni tribes and insurgents to turn against al-Qaida and back the United States.
The U.S.-funded Sunni movement faces a key test this week when the Shiite-led government begins to assume authority over the groups, also known as awakening councils.
In Mosul, a northern city that remains plagued by violence, men in long white robes filled mosques, and the city appeared quiet.
“People in mosques pray for peace on this sacred day,” said Ahmed Abdul-Rahman, 45-year-old photography shop owner. “The situation these days in Mosul does not allow for strolling in the streets in any area or traveling long distances.”
Sunnis and Shiites both celebrate Eid, but often begin the festival on different days. Shiites begin the holiday Wednesday.
In the past, that difference has sometimes underlined tensions between the two sects. This year, in an effort to minimize those tensions, the largely Shiite government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki set off the days celebrated by both Sunnis and Shiite as national holidays.