2017 Ramadan Eid Mubarak, Eid Al-Fitr? Trends, But Grand Mosque Mecca Suicide Bomber Gets Attention
When your country can “sight” the crescent moon, the official end of Ramadan can be declared, and that means Eid al-Fitr begins.
While Eid Mubarak is trending on Twitter on Saturday, June 24, many headlines outside of predominantly-Muslim countries are focusing on the Grand Mosque Mecca suicide bomber news updates about motivations behind the attempted attack.
Sunday, June 25, will be a big day for anyone celebrating Eid al-Fitr in 2017, and visiting holy places in Saudi Arabia is an important religious duty during ?Ramadan.
Thousands of Muslims flock to places like Medina and Mecca for religious reasons related to the hajj, but security has become precarious during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr in the past few years.??
Regardless, not all news outside of predominantly Muslim countries is negative where it concerns Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr 2017.
In fact, Nation in Pakistan was quick to point out that Canada published 2017 Eid stamps meant to celebrate Eid al-Adha in September, as well as the Eid al-Fitr celebration at the end of Ramadan on June 25.
However, in many headlines outside of predominantly-Muslim countries, the titles that contained Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr 2017 on June 24 often contained news about the Grand Mosque suicide bomber attack that was thwarted in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Express reported on June 24 that this was not the first Ramadan-related attack, and a similar incident happened in Medina, Saudi Arabia, in July, 2016. In that incident the year before, four members of the security team responsible for the Prophet Mohammad’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, were killed.
In the case of the Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr 2017 terrorist incident that is getting the English-speaking media’s attention, the suicide bomber was intercepted from carrying out his attack at the Grand Mosque in Mecca because he died in his apartment when he opened fire on authorities that arrived to apprehend him.
In addition to this suicide bomber, the Saudi Arabian government said three similar acts of terrorism were thwarted by security, but it was not clear if they were all at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 2017.
About the July, 2016, attack on Prophet Mohammad’s Mosque in Medina, Jonathan A.C. Brown, Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University, talked to NPR about his opinions on the motivations of the suicide bombing.
“Either they [the suicide bombers] are literally attacking their own religion, which is psychotic [or] they are so intent on de-legitimizing the Saudi government, they don’t care about doing violence in this sacred place and trying to kill Muslims who are engaged in this tremendous act of devotion that every Muslim agrees on.”
Despite the shocking nature of the Grand Mosque suicide bombing attempt made on June 23, 2017, before the start of Eid al-Fitr, USA Today reports that most Muslims will be busy celebrating the holiday.
Key ways Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by all Muslims that often involve their non-Muslim friends include visiting friends they have not seen in a long while and having food parties.
Another unique Eid al-Fitr tradition that non-Muslims might be included in is gift and cash giving to children of a Muslim person’s family or friends. Eid al-Fitr is also a crucial time in a Muslim person’s life to give large donations to people in a poor financial position.
[Featured Image by Tom Dulat/Getty Images]
