Ukrainian Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr - the feast accomplishing the month of fasting during Ramadan. More than 2,000 believers came to the mosque at Kyiv Islamic Cultural Centre in order to perform the festive prayer together - not only local Muslims, but some diplomats from Muslim countries and internally displaced people from Donbass and Crimea as well. They’ve had their fast in rather tough conditions this year.

There was a lot of people from Crimean Tatar Community at Kyiv ICC this year, because of the difficult political and social situation in Crimea. Muslims of the peninsula have been through several searches, interrogations and detentions during several latest months.

The situation for Crimean Muslims was aggravated by the fact that two Crimean Tatar Leaders were banished from returning to the peninsula, one after another. Former Head of Crimean Tatar Mejlis, now Member of Parliament Mr.Mustafa Dzhemilev was handed the prohibition act this April; and current Head of Mejlis, Mr.Refat Chubarov, got one in July.

Deprived of the possibility to spend Eid at home, both politicians joined the festive prayer at Kyiv ICC. After the prayer and the preaching were over, the two men handed sweet gifts to children on behalf of the local crimean Tatar community, and then went to visit those of their tribesmen who couldn’t come to the mosque for some reason.

It bears reminding that Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula after the puppet “referendum” in March. Today Crimea as part of Russian Federation is recognized only by RF itself, Kazakhstan and para-state of Abkhazia.

Staff reporter