Muslims around the world over the weekend gathered publicly to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, despite strict stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many still opted to stay home amid strict curfews in their countries.
Iran allowed communal prayers at some mosques while France allowed religious services to resume for the first time since March.
Some 2,000 Muslims gathered for Eid al-Fitr prayers Sunday at a sports complex in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, carefully spaced apart and wearing masks, according to France-Info radio. Traditional embraces were not allowed.
Thousands gathered for prayers in mosques and open areas in Sudan, Indonesia, East Africa, Pakistan, Rome and Albania, as well, according to the BBC.
Iraq and Jordan imposed round-the-clock holiday curfews, and people in Turkey were banned from leaving home from May 23-26, the duration of Eid al-Fitr, in a move aimed at curbing the spread of the new coronavirus that has killed more than 4,200 people in the country.
But some worshippers defied the lockdown in Iraq, reports Al Jazeera.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is under a complete lockdown, with residents only permitted to leave their homes to purchase food and medicine.
In Jerusalem, Israeli police said they broke up an "illegal demonstration" and arrested two people outside the Al-Aqsa mosque, which Muslim authorities have closed for prayers since mid-March and will not reopen until after the holiday. Worshippers who tried to enter the compound scuffled with the police.
Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday, is usually a time of travel, family get-togethers and lavish daytime feasts after weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting. This year many of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims opted to pray at home and make do with video calls.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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