Mangalore, Jul 29: Muslims in Mangalore and Udupi marked a grim Eid-ul-Fitr on Tuesday, praying for peace in Palestine, wherein Zionist regime massacred hundreds of civilians including children and women throughout the holy month of Ramadan.
Imams who led the Eid namaz in various Eid-gah's and masjid's across the twin districts turned emotional when they raised their hands seeking Allah's help, guidance and forgiveness. They prayed for peace in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, India and elsewhere in the world.
“Oh Allah! Grant the promised paradise to the children, woman and all the good people of Gaza, who were brutally killed by the enemies of peace. Oh Allah! Grant Palestinians victory over the occupying forces…”
Between 7.a.m and 9.a.m thousands of Muslims in the region, many of them wearing the conventional kurta-pyjamas, thronged places of worship for Eid prayers.
Absence of rain helped hundreds of devotees to stay for hours at Mangalore's main Eid-gah located at Light House Hill, greeting and praying for each other.
Mangalore Khazi Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar led the Eid prayers and delivered the sermon. In his customary sermon, the Khazi exhorted the Muslims to follow the taqwa (God-consciousness) in their lives. “We have fasted for 30 days to comply with the command of Almighty Allah. Let us also lead a pious life in the remaining 11 months of the year,” he said.
He exchanged Eid greetings with the devotees and called upon them to remember the lesser privileged people and needy during the festivities. “We have a social responsibility towards the poor and needy. As long as we attend to their problems, God's blessings will continue to shower upon us,” he said.
Praying for the victims of Gaza, he urged the Muslims to be steadfast in the faith.
In his Eid message, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister, U T Khader, dwelt upon the need to lead a peaceful and harmonious life. “India is a land of many religions. We have the freedom to follow our religion. At the same time our behaviour and actions should not give a bad impression about our faith,” he said.
Children dressed in festival attire added colour to the celebrations. People wished Eid Mubarak and hugged each other as a large number of shutterbugs tried to capture the poignant scenes of the festival prayers and greetings. Scores of volunteers from Zeeanth Bhaksh masjid helped the police in maintaining traffic and discipline.
Senior police officers from Mangalore Commissionerate also visited the Eid-gah and exchanged greetings with Muslim brethren.
Eid prayers were also held at other masjids of the city including Masjidunnoor, Bolar Masjid, Kankanady Masjid, Ibrahim Khaleel Masjid and Taqwa Masjid in Pumpwell.
Maulana Abdur-Rasheed Nadvi Umari, the Khatheeb of Udupi Jamia Masjid in his Eid message urged the Muslims to promote peace in the society.
"Hundreds of people are being killed every day in Islamic countries," he said, highlighting the plight of those in Gaza. “We are sad about the situation of people in Gaza, who are being killed ruthlessly day and night. We hope for peace, stability, development and happiness for them," said the Imam in Ibrhahim Khaleel Masjid of Mangalore.
Meanwhile, along with Eid greetings, hundreds of gory pictures emerging from Gaza are doing rounds on the social networking sites.
District in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports K. Abhayachandra Jain, and zilla panchayat president Asha Thimappa Gowda have also extended Eid greetings.
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