.... Firing of guns is not part of the celebration, it is dangerous because you may hurt anyone...Cotabato City, Philippines (ANTARA News) - Despite repeated appeals from police and military authorities and from Muslim religious leaders for gun owners not to fire their guns at the end of fasting month, gun bursts reverberated in the city and Maguindanao province as Muslims welcome Eud'l Fitr.
Eud'l Fitr marks the end of fasting month among Muslims all over the world and the gazing of the moon at 6 p.m. preceding the celebration signaled the end of fasting month.
Gun fire, including those from what many believed were fired from machine guns, were heard as early as 4 a.m. when the last meal of Muslims were done.
PNA-OANA reports as early as 6 p.m. when the Muslim religious leaders announced the sighting of the moon, gun fire were heard. Before the break of dawn Tuesday, more gun fire were heard.
A check with government hospitals showed no one was rushed there due to injuries by stray bullets as compared to previous Eud`l Fitr celebrations.
Muslim gun owners usually fire their guns to celebrate the end of fasting month and sacrifices which religious leaders said was nowhere in the Quran.
"Firing of guns is not part of the celebration, it is dangerous because you may hurt anyone," said Ustadz Jaafar Ali of the National Ulama Council of the Philippines.
He instead urged the gun owners to donate the money they would use to buy bullets for their brother and sister Muslims who are poor.
Cotabato City police director Sr. Supt. Roberto Badian said an inventory of ammunition assigned to each Muslim police officer is now on going to determine whether they fired their guns or not as they celebrated the end of Ramadhan.
Inside the compound of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimo led thousands of Muslims who survive the month-long Ramadhan, to a congregational prayers followed by a sumptuous breakfast of roasted beef and beef caldereta.
From August 1 to 30, Muslims pray and meditate and fast from food, water and even sex from dusk to dawn as a religious obligation.
Across the ARMM, there were no Eud`l Fitr-related violence reported, according to Chief Supt. Bienvenido Latag, ARMM police regional director.
ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
In Maguindanao, the 6th Infantry Division said the celebration was festive and no report of Eud?l Fitr-related violence in its area of jurisdiction. (H-AK)
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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