Festival sparks tensions in Egypt, Iran

This week Muslims worldwide began celebrating 'Id Al-Fitr, a feast that commemorates the end of the month-long Ramadan.

By THE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Id Al-Fitr eid ramadan iran 224 88 (photo credit: AP)
Id Al-Fitr eid ramadan iran 224 88
(photo credit: AP)
The Muslim holiday Id Al-Fitr is heightening political and ethnic tensions in Egypt and Iran over the allocation of prayer areas and festival customs. This week Muslims worldwide began celebrating Id Al-Fitr, a feast that commemorates the end of the month-long Ramadan observance and is spent with family and friends. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood says security forces from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have taken over the courtyard of a mosque traditionally used by the opposition. For the second year running the NDP took over the prayer area at Abu Joud mosque, a bastion of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the Asyout region. Brotherhood officials told Al-Jazeera that people wearing NDP outfits came to the mosque during the night and hung flags and banners greeting the worshipers on behalf of the ruling party. This was done under the watchful eyes of officials from the Waqf Ministry and security forces, they added. The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest opposition group in Egypt. It has been banned since 1954 but it is tolerated to some extent by the government, and independent deputies affiliated with the movement hold around a fifth of the seats in the Egyptian parliament. The festival has also caused tension in Iran between the Persian majority and the country's Arab minority. The Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz, which is based in exile, says Iranian security forces have launched an arrest campaign against Arabs in the Khuzestan province, because they are not celebrating the festival in a way that satisfies the regime. The party said Arabs were being arrested arbitrarily without any legal basis, in order to terrify the population, wipe out their identity and obliterate any Arab characteristics from the 'Id celebrations, according to Al-Arabiya TV news. Khuzestan, with its capital Ahwaz, is an oil-rich region located in western Iran on the border with Iraq. It is the main hub for Arabs in Iran, who comprise around three percent of the population. The Ahwazis feel the central regime is discriminating against them by illegally occupying their lands and inflicting discriminating policies on them.