YEKATERINBURG, Russia: Muslim soccer fans visiting Russia for the World Cup celebrated the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on Friday, with Egyptian and Moroccan fans hoping the festival would bring their national teams good luck in their matches on the day — which nearly transpired for Egypt but for a late, late goal from the Uruguayans.
“We’re all happy. Our happiness is double now because we are celebrating Eid and celebrating Egypt’s first match in the World Cup,” said Khadi Osman, 27, from Cairo, in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg for the game.
Osman, who’d used Google maps to locate the nearest mosque to the World Cup stadium, said he would slip in a special prayer for the team’s star player, Mohamed Salah, during his Eid Al-Fitr celebration prayers.
“We’re not looking for the final or anything but we’re hoping good luck – good play, a good match. It’s something big to us. We will pray for our team to win, God willing,” Osman said.
In the early afternoon on Friday about a dozen Egypt supporters in their red, white and black soccer kit, some with the national flag draped over their shoulders, joined worshippers at a low-slung, green corrugated mosque tucked inconspicuously near Yekaterinburg’s city center.
While locals welcomed them politely, the imam made no reference to the foreign guests as he launched into an address in Russian that focused on behavior and personal hygiene when entering a mosque.
An Egyptian fan in Yekaterinburg, who had risen early to attend a 5 a.m. service at the mosque, said he received a warm welcome from the hosts.
“It’s very strange, it’s the first time to celebrate in a foreign country. So it was a bit different but it was good to find this number of (local) Muslims here in the mosque,” said Ahmed El-Sakka.
The Egyptian team, staying in a hotel in Yekaterinburg, invited the imam of the city’s Copper Mosque to hold an Eid service in the conference room of their hotel.
“I was asked to go there because the team can’t travel to the mosque, it’s too far and today they have a match with Uruguay,” imam Artur Hazrat Mukhutdinov said. He added that the service would take half an hour.
Muslim soccer fans celebrate Eid in World Cup host country Russia
Muslim soccer fans celebrate Eid in World Cup host country Russia
- Egyptian and Moroccan fans were hopeful that the festival would bring their national teams good luck in their matches on the day — which nearly transpired for Egypt but for a late, late goal from the Uruguayans.
- The Egyptian team, staying in a hotel in Yekaterinburg, invited the imam of the city’s Copper Mosque to hold an Eid service in the conference room of their hotel.
5 artists named on 2026 Ithra Art Prize shortlist
DUBAI: Five artists from across the Arab world were announced this week as winners of the seventh edition of the Ithra Art Prize, marking a shift in the format for the one of the region’s most established contemporary art awards.
For the first time, the shortlisted artists — Aseel Al-Yaqoub from Kuwait, Bady Dalloul from Syria, Heba Y. Amin from Egypt, Ala Younis from Jordan and Jawad Al-Malhi from Palestine — will all receive production grants. Their new works will be unveiled in a dedicated exhibition at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran in spring.
The change reflects a growing emphasis on supporting artistic production rather than selecting a single winner.
Farah Abushullaih, head of Ithra’s museum, said: “This year’s shortlist reflects the incredible diversity, creativity and critical thought shaping contemporary art in the Arab world. Expanding the shortlist to include five finalists aims to strengthen dialogue across cultures and generations, while reaffirming Ithra’s support for artists and their distinct artistic perspectives.”
This year also sees the prize exhibition returning to Dhahran, after previous editions toured cities including Dubai, AlUla and Riyadh.
Ithra said more than 500 submissions were received through an open call, with works undergoing a multi-stage review process before the final five were selected.
The shortlisted projects span a wide range of mediums and research-driven practices, engaging with contemporary political, social and historical questions across the Arab world.
