Syrian refugees in Greece gather for Ramadan prayers

Associated Press

The end of the Muslim holy month is marked with the celebration called Eid, which falls on 19 August and will be celebrated at sunset on 18 August with a big feast. Syrian refugees who recently arrived in the country joined Muslims from their own country and elsewhere to pray. One refugee and political activist from Homs talked about his desire to return home. “There (in Syria) we are all together, even if we were dying together, but we were together. Now most people have died, and some people are in different places, in shelters, we are here, and I pray for God to bring us back home,” said Imad Al Abdullah, who recently brought his family to safety in Greece. The Greek authorities, worried about a potential influx of Syrian refugees crossing from Turkey, has quadrupled the number of border guards at its border with Turkey. Greece is the busiest entry point for illegal immigrants trying to reach the European Union. Turkey, meanwhile, is hosting thousands of Syrians who have been fleeing their country’s civil war.