Eid gatherings fuel fears of flu contagion

       Muslims across the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr yesterday to mark the end of Ramadan, but authorities urged caution as large social gatherings and returning Mecca pilgrims fuelled fears of swine flu spreading.
       In Cairo, where two people have died from the H1N1 flu virus and nearly 900 cases have been reported, preachers suggested that worshippers perform the traditional dawn prayer at home rather than at crowded mosques.
       "We ought to cancel Eid prayers ...there should be a national campaign to keep crowded places clean and ensure they are safe for people," Suad Saleh, head of Islamic Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University told the Englishlanguage Egyptian Gazette .Cairo airport authorities have reinforced swine flu testing measures as the end of Ramadan means the return of thousands of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.
       Fear of the virus spreading in the crowded conditions during the pilgrimage is shared by many other countries who are considering cancelling the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year.
       Jordanians have been urged to refrain from kissing each other in a bid to combat the contagious disease.
       "People should not kiss at social events and gatherings. Instead, they should just shake hands," the government's fatwa department said in a statement ahead of the Eid holiday.
       In Jakarta, thousands of people queued for hours outside the presidential palace to pay their respects to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
       Indonesian officials fearful of the spread of swine flu set up thermal scanners at the open house event, which is part of a tradition whereby people throughout the country ask forgiveness from others for slights and offences.
       In the world's largest Muslimmajority country, nearly 30 million people were estimated to have emptied out of cities and towns in a yearly exodus to celebrate the holiday.
       The Transport Ministry said 184 people have died in the traffic chaos already.
       The start of Eid is traditionally determined by the sighting of the new moon, often dividing rival Islamic countries and sects over the exact date.
       In Iraq, Shi'ites loyal to the Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, the nation's top Shi'ite cleric, continued fasting yesterday, observing nationally televised and locally delivered messages that the new moon had not yet risen.
       However those who follow the Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ended the holy month of Ramadan early yesterday.
       Iraq's minority Sunnis ended Ramadan on Saturday.
       In neighbouring Iran, politics overshadowed prayer, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taking aim at Israel, Western powers and the foreign media. In his sermon, Mr Khamenei said a "Zionist cancer" was gnawing into the lives of Islamic nations.
       In Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai extended an olive branch to Taliban militants trying to overthrow his Western-backed government.
       "On this auspicious day once again I ask all those Afghan brothers who are unhappy or are in others' hands to stop fighting, destroying their own land and killing their own people," he said at the presidential palace in Kabul."They must come to their houses and live in peace in their own country."
       Pakistani families uprooted by conflict with the Taliban face a miserable Eid, with no cash to splash on celebrations and desirous of returning to homes they fear no longer exist.
       The UN said about two million Pakistanis were displaced as a result of fighting between the army and Taliban militants.
       Meanwhile, residents of restive Indian Kashmir jammed markets in defiance of a rise in militant violence to stock up for Eid.
       The festival to celebrate the close of the holy month will be held Monday or Tuesday, depending when the new crescent moon is sighted in the restive Himalayan region where Islamic militants have been fighting against New Delhi's rule for 20 years.
       Shopkeepers set up extra kiosks to cater to the mad shopping rush.
       Muslim separatists who are leading the movement to break away from India and join Pakistan, or declare an independent state, called on followers to show austerity.