Middle East: Snapshots of Eid  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

For millions of Muslims around the world, Eid Al Adha was a time for celebrations, family gatherings and reflections on the occasion. Here's a snapshot of reactions from bloggers in Tunisia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.
Unhappy with Eid decorations?  AquaBlue, from Tunisia, wishes her readers a Happy Eid, and adds:
Actually, every time an Islamic occasion approaches, and no matter in which part of the world I really am, I hear the same whining and complaining from Muslims about how dull, lame, and boring our occasions are… and of course I need not mention the really negative comments comparing the Muslim celebrating techniques to those of people of other faiths and religions.
She adds:
If you think Muslim celebrations are boring and their decorating styles are outdated or vulgar or whatever, then why don’t you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Instead of exposing the bad tastes of people, why don’t you share some better ideas and give them nice tips they can use? why don’t you teach people you know how to be better decorators, or advise people who are responsible for decorating malls how to do it the right way! If you’re a blogger, post lists of do’s and dont’s, share pics of good decoration examples, expose the good side for people to follow, the negative approach only helps people give up the whole thing.
From Turkey, Talk Turkey reflects on the occasion and how it is viewed by different religions. He writes:
Why is it that Abraham's convictions and the depth of his faith in God are never questioned as he gets ready to sacrifice one of his sons Isaac (in the Bible version)? And as the picture above by Caravaggio depicts, such a killing must be performed by slitting the boy's throat! I mean, weren't other methods of ‘humanely’ killing a human being invented at the time? Why is ‘The West’ silent when it comes to the bible's ‘sacrilegious’ content?
Anyway, in the Islamic version only the names of the innocent have been changed. Isaac is Ishmael (the ‘other’ son). But the story ends the same way. A ram is sacrificed instead when it is determined by God that Abraham had passed the test of his will and determination and love for God…
For Kuwaiti blogger Marzouq, from ZDistrict, Eid marks a special occasion as the blogger performed Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. He describes his preparations as follows:
There a lot of things I have memorized over the past couple of weeks, but I had a million questions and I even wrote down a lot of things. I’m going with my cousins who have been to Haj a few times so I won’t be too lost and the Hamlah (Pilgrimage Group) has a good reputation. Its physically and mentally exhausting but very satisfying, a responsibility for each Muslim to complete. I have even brought my camera with me to take some photos, but I wasn’t sure in the beginning so I asked and I was encouraged to take it.
In Egypt, Jessyz gives us a list of eight things to do to celebrate Eid, Egyptian style at Chocolate Mints in a Jar. Among them are:
Watch old plays on TV
Play with firecrackers
Call everyone after Eid prayers to say “Eid Mubarak” (Happy Eid), you could of course take it a step further and call before prayers to wake everyone up
Take a shower
And finally back to Kuwait, where Ansam too has a list which she shares with us as follows:
*New dress: check
*New shoes: check
*Tights (if it gets cold): check
*Clutch: check
*Makeup: check
*Eidiya (money): Not Yet LOL!!! I got so busy last week of work before Eid, so I am crossing my fingers that ATM machines will dispense crispy money (otherwise I will exchange with my dad/mom) heehee
*Lunch with family: check