(21 Aug 2018) LEADIN:
Tens of thousands of Muslims in Bosnia began celebrating the 4-day Eid al-Adha on Tuesday, Islam's most revered observance, by attending special prayers in mosques throughout the country.
STORYLINE:
Bosnian Muslims gather to prayers to begin the celebration of Eid al-Adha.
Known as the Feast of Sacrifice or "big Eid", it is one of the two most important holidays in the Muslim calendar. It marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates what Muslims believe is Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his own son to show obedience to God.
At the last minute, they believe, God intervened, and gave Ibrahim a ram to sacrifice instead.
In the central Bosnian city of Zenica, the faithful crowd into the main Sultan Ahmet mosque and adjacent streets for the special early morning Eid prayer. Other, smaller mosques around the city, as well as around the country, are also full to capacity so the pious Muslims spill out into the streets around them during the prayer.
Traditionally, Muslims sacrifice an animal on Eid and share the meat with their relatives, neighbours and people in need.
After completing the prayer, the faithful leave the mos.
For Harun Bosnjak, this year is the first year has brought his son with him.
"This Eid is special because this is the first time that I brought my son, Kerim, with me to Eid prayer to see what it is like, to learn about our tradition," he says.
Admir Valentic said he recalled celebrating the holiday during Bosnia's brutal inter-ethnic war in 1990s and thus appreciated more that he now lives and celebrates in peace.
"We must remember our Muslim brothers who suffer like we suffered in 1990s, our brothers in Palestine, in Syria, in Yemen, in Afghanistan who cannot celebrate this holiday in peace," he says.
As part of the local custom, after the prayer, Muslims stay in town for a while and have a coffee in one of many cafes before heading home to continue celebrating the holiday with their family.
Muslims Bosniaks account for a half of Bosnia's total population of just over 3.5 million.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
