An Eid of joy and sadness

Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011

Gulf News

Dubai Eid Al Fitr celebrations in the region yesterday were marked by joy and a little sadness.

The occasion was joyous for Tunisians, Libyans and Egyptians celebrating their first Eid in decades without the fear of autocratic regimes, but Syrians had very little to celebrate as President Bashar Al Assad’s brutal crackdown on protesters showed no signs of abating.

“I feel this is the best Eid of my life because Egypt is free after 30 years of oppression and corruption,” Hanfi Faraj, an accountant told Gulf News after prayers in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Tears of joy were shed in Tripoli’s Green Square following the victory over Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

“Every year we celebrate Eid with new clothes, big meals and home-made sweets. There are shortages this year. But we have managed so far. Thank God this Eid has a special flavour. This Eid we have freedom,” said Adel Kashad, 47, a computer science engineer.

In Syria, the Local Coordination Committee, an activist group, said many Syrians worldwide were keeping their Eid celebrations to a minimum in solidarity with their fellow countrymen. “There will be no happiness while the martyrs’ blood is still warm,” it said in a statement.

UAE aid in Somalia

Meanwhile, thanks to the UAE’s efforts, malnourished Somali women and children living in makeshift camps in and around the Somali capital ate hot food provided by the UAE relief team.

Volunteers set up makeshift kitchens near the camp to cook food. Emirati volunteers even joined the refugees in their celebration of Eid Al Fitr and distributed toys among the children.

The Emirati camp near the Mogadishu airport, which is supervised by the UAE Red Crescent, houses over 750 families, WAM said.

By Layelle Saad?GCC/Middle East Editor