Muslims all over the world rejoice at end of Ramadan

Hotels in Beirut are doing brisk and welcome business with visitors from the oil-rich Gulf, while the arrival of budget airlines in the Arab world this year means that ever more families can meet up for the celebrations.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, children paraded through the streets of the capital, Jakarta, carrying candles. In Bangladesh, tens of thousands of holidaymakers left the capital, Dhaka, for the countryside in buses and trains: it was estimated six million of the city's 10 million people were going home to their villages to celebrate Eid.

The less fortunate, living in countries afflicted by man-made or natural disasters, are also being remembered in prayers across the Islamic world. In earthquake-hit Kashmir, survivors said they were in no mood to celebrate - and aid workers warned the impending winter could make matters worse unless urgently needed aid arrives immediately.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq used the occasion to announce it had sentenced to death two Moroccan embassy hostages it was holding even as Moroccan politicians and newspapers begged the terrorist group to spare the men's lives ahead of Eid.

Security was a top priority for Iraqi families but little violence was reported and many Sunni Muslims ventured out to celebrate the beginning of the festival.

"We pray to almighty God on the occasion of Eid that stability and security will prevail so that people can picnic. They are fed up of being always at home in fear of blasts," said one Iraqi, Mohsen Chasib.