Happy Ramadan to every one.
KULLAE AAMM WA ANTUM BEKHAIR
Muslims mark start of Ramadan
Friday, October 15, 2004 Posted: 12:03 PM EDT (1603 GMT)
Muslims pray during the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City.
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JERUSALEM (CNN) – Friday prayers marked the start of Ramadan in the Middle East as millions of Muslims around the world began observance of the holy month of fasting and prayer.
Tens of thousands of Muslims turned out at the Haram al-Sharif complex, the Noble Sanctuary, in Jerusalem’s Old City for prayers after the Israeli government lifted restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend.
There were no reports of violence in the West Bank, Gaza or Israel amid the dozens of checkpoints and hundreds of soldiers deployed to provide security.
The government had been concerned about the structural integrity of the site. As many as 150,000 to 200,000 worshippers were expected, but those high numbers did not materialize.
Ramadan began officially Thursday evening in some parts of the world. The start of the month is based on a combination of physical sightings of the moon and astronomical calculations. Most regions began the fast Friday, while Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh have announced the fast to begin Saturday, as have isolated Islamic centers in North America and Europe.
Out of respect for the holy month, Israeli forces, who began an intense offensive in Gaza more than two weeks ago to stop Palestinian militants from firing rockets into Israel, have drawn back to the less populated hill tops near refugee camps.
The Israeli Defense Ministry has said the soldiers will remain in Gaza, but the move was aimed at easing the burden on innocent Palestinian civilians by not having troops present during their religious observance.
There have been concentrations of troops at Jabalya, Gaza’s largest refugee camp that houses about 100,000 Palestinians, and the nearby cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahaya north of Gaza City.
More than 100 Palestinians, including militants, civilians, and children, have been killed in the military offensive, according to Palestinian sources.
Five Israelis – three soldiers and two civilians – were killed by Palestinians during the operation, Israeli military sources said.
The military launched the large-scale, open-ended operation – code-named “Days of Penitence” – on September 29, when a Qassam rocket attack killed two Israeli children in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, less than a mile from the Gaza border.
It followed a slew of rocket attacks and numerous terrorist bombings that killed many other Israelis.
In an attempt to stop the rocket attacks originating in Gaza, Israel deployed at least two Israeli army brigades inside Gaza, military sources said.
The goal of Israeli forces is to create a 5.5-mile (9-km) buffer zone to protect Israelis from Palestinian Qassam rocket attacks. That distance is the maximum range of the rockets.
Israeli attacks have been aimed at terror cells launching the homemade rockets, workshops where the weapons are manufactured and houses used as cover for rocket launchers, the Israeli military said.