Muslims Celebrate End of Ramadan in Moscow

An estimated 12,000 Russian Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Moscow on Wednesday. Morning prayers were held in and around the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and on streets nearby the city center, as well as at several other mosques and squares in the capital. Many worshippers come from Russian regions with predominantly Muslim populations. “Russians and Muslims get on very well with each other. We respect each other. I’m from Tatarstan. There is no place for nationalism,“ said one worshipper. “We have friendly relations with everyone and it is still like that. We don’t divide between Muslims, Christians, we don’t do that,“ said another. “Moscow is multicultural. Russians treat Muslims normally,“ added another. Eid al-Fitr, or “festival of breaking of the fast“, celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the 10th month of the Islamic lunar cal