'I can't celebrate Eid when my family's suffering in Lebanon'

A food stallholder says she does not want to celebrate the festival of Eid this weekend because she is worried about family and friends caught up in the fighting in Lebanon.

Sahar Khalil, who lives in Peterborough, says a friend of hers was killed this week, while members of her family are now living in tents in freezing cold conditions after being told by the Israelis to evacuate the town where they lived.

The feast of Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims around the world to mark the end of Ramadan, a month-long season of prayer and daytime fasting.

But with the Iranian conflict entering its third week - and more places being drawn into the fighting - this year's celebrations may be muted in places like Peterborough, where many people have connections with the Middle East.

As she serves shawarma (slices of meat seasoned with shredded vegetables served in a wrap) from her van in Cathedral Square, Khalil admits that her family and friends back home are often in her mind.

"The situation there is really bad. They are in tents, the weather is really bad, it's too cold, there is no food," she says.

"And last week I lost my friend who is a paramedic in the Lebanese Red Cross.

"I feel I can do nothing but just pray."

The former actress, who moved to Peterborough after getting married eight years ago, says she tries to send encouraging messages back to her family but says celebrating Eid this year does not feel right.

"I don't feel any Lebanese person or any Palestinian person with a humanitarian heart will want to celebrate Eid this year because the world has become too sad."

About one million people are estimated to have been forced from their homes in Lebanon over the last fortnight.

The country was pulled into the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran when Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel.

Israel says it is retaliating to protect itself, but stresses that it tries to avoid civilian casualties.

Alex Gandler, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in London. told the BBC: "Hezbollah embeds itself within civilian infrastructure.

"We want Lebanese civilians to evacuate villages and towns where we know Hezbollah is working and where we know we're going to attack."

According to the last census, there are 1546 people in Peterborough who were born in the Middle East - but there are many more who have connections to the region.

At the Khadijah Mosque, Imam Osama Zafar says there are people from Iran, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Morocco among the regular worshippers.

"Of course people have been affected [by the war].

Some are quite upset because they have family members there, others have had travel plans cancelled," he says.

"So, of course, it's a difficult time but, unfortunately, it's not something new, particularly over what's been going on in Gaza."

Opinion is divided among Muslims in the city over whether America and Israel were right to attack Iran.

Zafar says his mosque does not dwell on the politics.

"Our focus has been on innocent life, which has been taken. Whatever you think politically, there are innocent victims."

To mark the start of Eid, the Joint Mosques Council in Peterborough issued a statement, saying: "We stand in solidarity with all innocent civilians affected by this violence.

"We pray for those who have been killed, for those who have been injured, for those displaced from their homes, and for all families enduring unbearable hardship.

"We call on people of conscience everywhere to speak out for justice, restraint and peace."

Back at her Lebanese food van, Khalil says the best thing that could happen this Eid would be for the fighting to come to an end.

"Everyone deserves peace and love in this life, no one deserves hate and war."

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