Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan

Eid al-Fitr is a time of joyous celebration for many Muslims around the world, but not all can join in due to the harsh realities of war and poverty. Despite this, the spirit of Eid continues to bring some hope and light to those who need it most.

Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Chamarajpet Idgah Maidan on 22 April 2023 in Bengaluru, India. (Photo: Abhishek Chinnappa / Getty Images)

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23 Apr 2023

Eid al-Fitr is one of two major holidays in the Islamic calendar and is celebrated for one to three days after a month of fasting.

According to a report by the Pew Research Centre, about 24% of the global population is Muslim, with 1.8 billion Muslims in the world as of 2015, making Islam the world’s second-largest religious tradition after Christianity and one of the world’s fastest-growing religious groups.

While some families happily observe a carefree Eid al-Fitr with food and selfies, others struggle with the bite of the cost-of-living crisis and displacement due to war and natural disasters. The largest earthquake in the history of Turkey on 6 February 2023 killed 56,000 - causing significant loss of life in the southeast of the country as well as northwest Syria. People continue to pick up the pieces of their lives in the aftermath of the quake and continue to mourn the devastating loss of family members.

The war continues in Ukraine, with Russian missiles hitting Kharkiv. And according to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme, 71 million people in the developing world have fallen into poverty due to surges in the price of food and energy.