Mumbai/New Delhi/Lucknow/Hyderabad: Muslims across India celebrated Eid al Fitr – the annual festival marking the end of the month of Ramadan on Monday June 26, 2017 with traditional gaiety and fervor.
At the same reports coming from different parts of India said at many parts in India, Muslims wore black bands on their arms in protest during the Eid prayers.
The silent protest was in response to a call given by more than two dozen eminent citizen to protest targeted killing of Muslims, especially the recent lynching of Hafiz Junaid in a running train just 20 kms from India’s capital New Delhi.
Special Eid al Fitr prayers were held at Eidgah grounds across India. But, prayers were offered inside mosques in some parts of the country including Mumbai because of rains.
In Malegaon Maharashtra, the largest congregation was at Malegaon Camp Eid-gah ground where more than one lakh Mualima gathered in the morning on Monday to offer Special Eid prayers.
Mohammadiya Eid-gah ground in Malegaon singled out as the organisers here made adequate arrangements for women to perform special Eid al Fitr prayers. Mohammadiya Eid-gah ground is one among few grounds in India where special arrangements are made for women for Eid prayers.
Large congregations were seen at the historic Mir Alam Eidgah and Mecca Masjid, among others, in Hyderabad and also in Gujarat, Karnataka, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and the historic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.
Special prayers and exchange of pleasantries marked the day as scores of faithfuls thronged mosques in various parts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Vellore and Coimbatore among others to hold prayers.
Over 25,000 Muslims assembled at the biggest congregation on Red Road (Indira Gandhi Sarani) in West Bengal capital Kolkata to offer Special Eid Prayers on the occasion.
Imams of different mosques called for peace, harmony and brotherhood while extending wishes and greetings to all.
In a rarest of rare case, Muslims in Thiruvananthapuram and other parts of Kerala celebrated Eid al Fitr with their counterparts in other parts of India on Monday. Normally crescent moon is seen in Kerala a day in advance and hence they celebrate Eid al Fitr a day before Muslims in rest of India.
The other hallmark of Eid al Fitr 2017 was the call given by some Muslims individuals and NGOs to wear black bands on their arms to protest atrocities and targeted killings of Muslims.
Though some clerics termed it against the practice of Islam to wear black bands on Eid day, Muslims in many parts of India sported black bands on their arms and posted pictures on social media.
Popular Urdu poet Imran Pratapgarhi, who was among the first to initiate the campaign to wear black bands on Eid, posted more than two dozen such pictures with details of places have been sent from.
A glance on his twitter account showed Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan wearing black bands to show solidarity with the victims of hate crime and targeted killing.
Meanwhile, a silent protest march has also been called on Wednesday June 28 with the same motive.
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