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Residents of Ajman mark Eid remembering Zayed

AJMAN — The sad demise of Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan overshadowed the Eid celebrations in Ajman, where residents marked Eid Al Fitr with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

by

Afkar Ali Ahmed

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Published: Tue 16 Nov 2004, 10:39 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 2:32 PM

The parks and entertainment places presented an unusually deserted look and quietness during the Eid days as large groups of families and children were nowhere to be seen.

The parks that once bustled with life during the holidays wore a deserted look as residents preferred to stay indoors as a mark of respect to the late Shaikh Zayed.

In some areas like Al Jarf, Eid was observed by UAE nationals among tears, grief and sorrow, said Mahmoud Mousa, a supervisor of Al Hamadiay new park.

“This year the number of the visitors to the parks witnessed a drop of over 60 per cent as compared to last year,” observed Mr Mousa.

“But we were not expecting hordes of people to flood the park due to the mourning prevailing in the country and the feelings of sorrow among the UAE citizens and residents over the loss of the Father of the Nation.”

Mohammed Al Shamsi, a UAE national residing in Al Jarf district, said that the atmosphere of sorrow, sadness and grief filled the houses of the UAE nationals during the first and second days of Eid.

“Most of the people did not go for Eid shopping and didn’t even offer sweets and cookies for the Eid wishers.

Even Eidias (money given to the children during Eid) were not distributed,” he added

Rashid Diab, a salesman at a garments shop, said that the crowd of the Eid shoppers, which are usually witnessed every year during this season, was much less this year, pointing to the absence of UAE nationals as customers.

“Most of the shoppers were from different nationalities, including Arabs and Asians.”

Obaid Al Yamahi, UAE national from Ajman, said: “The Eid had passed just like any ordinary day, as we did not feel like celebrating it. It is no exaggeration that the grief, sadness and sorrow are still filling our hearts, due to the great loss of our father and the leader who taught us love and tolerance. We refused to celebrate the Eid as our hearts are still bleeding and our tears still running when we talk about Shaikh Zayed, see his pictures and think of him.”

Mohammed Al Sharki said that the celebration of Eid has no meaning this year in the absence of Shaikh Zayed.

“We were used to seeing him among the ordinary people sharing their times of happiness and sorrow. His loss was a real shock for us.”

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