JAKARTA, CNBC INDONESIA \u2014 Eid al-Adha this year has not been fully\njoyous for Muslims worldwide, with Iranian Muslims even celebrating the\nfestival amid war. Celebrating Eid al-Adha during wartime is not\nunprecedented; over the past 40 years, the world has witnessed at least\nthree instances of Eid being observed in conflict zones.<\/p>\n
Over the past 31 years, the Persian Gulf region has been the\nepicentre of three major conflicts that shook the global economy, oil\nprices, and geopolitical stability. These conflicts, known as Gulf War\nI, II, and III, all centred around Iraq.<\/p>\n
Gulf War I lasted from August 1990 to February 1991. There was no Eid\nal-Adha during this period as the festival fell on 3 July 1990 and 23\nJune 1991, outside the conflict timeline.<\/p>\n
Gulf War II, also known as the Iraq War, began on 20 March 2003 and\nconcluded on 18 December 2011. Led by the US under President George W.\nBush, the invasion was justified by claims of Iraqi weapons of mass\ndestruction and alleged links to international terrorism. Iraqi citizens\ncelebrated Eid al-Adha between 2004 and 2011 under sombre conditions. By\nFebruary 2004, despite the US toppling Saddam Hussein\u2019s regime a year\nprior, the Iraq War was far from over. Instead of subsiding, the\nconflict entered a more complex phase of guerrilla warfare and armed\ninsurgency spreading across regions.<\/p>\n
The Afghanistan War began with the global shock of the 11 September\n2001 attacks. Terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked planes and crashed them\ninto the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the US, killing thousands\nand reshaping American foreign policy. Washington accused al-Qaeda\nleader Osama bin Laden of hiding in Afghanistan under Taliban\nprotection. Less than a month later, on 7 October 2001, the US and\nallies launched a massive military invasion. The Taliban quickly fell,\nlosing power by December 2001 as the US began building a new government.\nMajor military bases like Bagram became US war operation hubs. However,\nthe initially anticipated short conflict turned into a two-decade-long\nstruggle, with US forces withdrawing in August 2021. Eid al-Adha in 2002\nfell on 22 February, just three months after the invasion, and Afghan\ncivilians continued celebrating the festival amid war for years\nafter.<\/p>\n
The Gaza War erupted on 7 October 2023 and remains ongoing.\nPalestinian residents must celebrate Eid al-Adha in June 2024 and 2025,\nas well as May this year, under deeply concerning circumstances.<\/p>\n
The Iran War began on 28 February 2026. After nearly three months,\nthere are no signs of the conflict ending despite intensive ceasefire\nefforts. This year marks the first time Iranian Muslims celebrate Eid\nal-Adha since the war began. In Iran, Eid al-Adha is commonly referred\nto as Eid-e Ghorban and is a national holiday. However, the festival\u2019s\natmosphere in Iran is often described as calmer than in other Muslim\nnations due to its distinct Shia religious culture.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/four-wars-amidst-eid-al-adha-a-festival-of-sacrifice-marked-by-sorrow-and-concern-1779895972", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }