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An Iraqi boy collects the remains of an American rocket shell from inside a demolished house in Fallujah (AFP)
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By
Samir Haddad, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD,
October 31 (IslamOnline.net) – Iraqi mosques used to host collective
iftar banquets in a show of solidarity among fellow Muslims
during the holy fasting month of Ramadan but under the US-led
occupation of the oil-rich Arab country this is no more possible.
Many
Iraqis have steered clear of iftar banquets, which bring
together a quite large number of people to break the fast together,
fearing indiscriminate US bombardment and trigger-happy
American soldiers, especially in flashpoint areas.
"Collective
Iftar banquets in mosques were one of Ramadan main features in
the country," Ihsan Abbas told IslamOnline.net Saturday, October
30.
"However,
such banquets have become risky under the occupation and the
insecurity grabbling the country."
Iraqis
now prefer to have iftar at home lest they get caught in the
shootout between resistance fighters and the occupation troops, Abbas
noted.
A
US air strike killed at least 12 people on Friday, October 8, in the
Iraqi city of Fallujah, with a wedding
party bearing the brunt of the attack.
Video
images aired on Monday, May 24, showed a decorated
wedding vehicle and Arab guests arriving for the
celebrations followed by scenes of death and destruction after an
American helicopter fired its missiles at the gathering killing 40
people.
Vanishing
Abul
Dardaa, a Fallujah inhabitant, also regretted the disappearance of the
Ramadan gatherings.
"Iftar
banquets have completely vanished in the city over incessant American
bombings."
He
recalled, as a case in point, the American bombardment of Al-Rawi
mosque in central Fallujah at the beginning of the dawn-to-dusk
fasting month.
Dardaa
said more than 70% of Fallujah residents have fled their homes amid
spiraling fears of an imminent US onslaught.
"I
no longer feel the joy of Ramadan with my family living in Al-Ana area
(350km west of Baghdad) while I’m staying in Baghdad," Dardaa
said.
Recalling
happy memories, he noted how he used to bring dates and soup to the
mosque in his neighborhood to participate in the collective iftar
banquet which caters for more than 100 Iraqis.
Mosques
across the city of 300,000 people have been unusually
deserted in the holy month.
Fallujah
has been suffering almost daily American blitz since the fall of the
country in April of last year.
In
April, at least 700 Iraqis, mostly
women and children, were killed and 1,500 others
injured when the US occupation forces imposed a tight siege on the
town and intensified air strikes on its densely-populated areas.
On
September 18, Amnesty International blasted the US for its barbaric
raids on Fallujah
Quiet
Areas
The
iftar banquets, however, could still be seen in other quiet
Iraqi areas such as Baghdad’s Al-Yarmok district.
"We
host collective iftar banquets for more than 100 worshipers
during Ramadan," said Sheikh Abdul Kareem Al-Tikrit, a mosque
imam.
He
added rich Iraqis in the neighborhood bring different kinds of
delicious food to the banquets.
"We
are keen to hold the iftar banquets because our district is a
relatively calm area and is not a scene of clashes with the occupation
forces," noted Sheikh Al-Tikrit.
Iraqis
bring to the iftar banquets soup, milk, dates, rice and other
kinds of food.
