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Obama Sends Best Wishes to Muslims for Eid-al-Fitr

   VOA News 09 September 2010

   U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  has  sent  his  best wishes to Muslims
   worldwide  as  they  celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking
   the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
   In  a  Thursday  statement, President Obama said this year's Eid is an
   occasion to reflect on the importance of religious tolerance. Â
   The  holiday  comes  as plans to build an Islamic community center and
   mosque near the site of New York City's former World Trade Center have
   sparked intense opposition in the United States.  Also, a minister in
   Florida  is threatening to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary
   of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
   Most  Gulf  Arab  states have announced they will celebrate the Muslim
   holiday Friday.
   Religious  councils  in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait
   and  other  Arab  countries  said  the moon's crescent was not sighted
   after  nightfall  Wednesday,  meaning  there  would be one more day of
   fasting before the holy month comes to an end.
   Like  most major Islamic events, the start of the Eid festival depends
   on  a  lunar  sighting.   Muslims look for a new moon to proclaim the
   start of the month in Islam's lunar calendar. Â
   The timing of Eid can vary in different countries accordingly.
   Eid  al-Fitr  celebrates  the  purification  achieved  by  a  month of
   sunrise-to-sunset  fasting,  one  of the five pillars of Islam, and is
   marked by several days of festivities.
   [
   Some information for this report provided by AP.]

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