CAIRO: Muslims worldwide — especially those in the Middle East — on Sunday celebrated Eid Al-Fitr as authorities urged caution over large gatherings and returning Makkah pilgrims fueled swine flu fears.
In Cairo, where two people have died from the virus and nearly 900 cases have been reported, imams suggested that worshippers perform the traditional Eid dawn prayer at home rather than in crowded mosques.
“We ought to cancel Eid prayers,” Suad Saleh, head of Islamic Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, told the English-language Egyptian Gazette. “There should be a national campaign to keep crowded places clean and ensure they are safe for people.”
Cairo airport authorities have reinforced swine-flu testing measures as the end of Ramadan means the return of thousands of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia. For their part, Saudi health authorities say no deaths and only about 30 cases of infection were discovered during the peak Umrah pilgrimage season of Ramadan.
Many other countries that are considering canceling the annual Haj pilgrimage this year share fear of the virus spreading in the crowded conditions during the Haj pilgrimage, which takes place in the past week of November.
Jordanians have been urged to refrain from kissing each other in greeting in a bid to combat the contagious disease.
“People should not kiss at social events and gatherings,” the Amman government’s fatwa (religious edict) department said in a statement ahead of Eid when families and friends gather in large groups. “Instead, they should just shake hands.”
In Saudi Arabia, fireworks were planned on Sunday night around Riyadh, a skydiving performance was expected and the Prince Faisal sports stadium was hosting a parade and motorcycle races.
However many Saudis were also expected to stream into neighboring Dubai and Bahrain for Eid.
In Morocco and Algeria, residents made the most of a long-weekend to head back to their villages or tourist resorts.
