Nov. 4: From Karbi Anglong to Delhi to Kashmir, death and destruction ? perpetrated by man or nature ? have shrouded the season of festivity.

Restricting Id revelry to the minimum, the Muslim community of the Northeast today offered special prayers for all the victims of the ethnic strife in Karbi Anglong, the blasts in New Delhi and the earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir.

?Humanity is passing through a difficult phase. The need of the hour is to maintain unity. In our Assam, what has happened in Karbi Anglong is very unfortunate. All communities must fight the forces of evil together. This is also the will of Allah, that all people live together in peace and harmony,? said Imam Alhaz Hafiz Mohsin Ali during the special Id prayer session at Guwahati?s Islampur Idgah.

Nearly 8,000 people participated in the mass prayer at Islampur, while over 10,000 gathered at Machkhowa Idgah.

?With so much of death and destruction around us, the natural reaction of the Muslim community has been to tone down Id celebrations,? said Omar Rashid, who offered prayers at Islampur.

At the Lakhtokia Masjid No. 1, a special cell was opened for collection of relief materials for those affected by the killer earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir.

?While we are celebrating Id, we must not forget our duty to help our countrymen in times of their need,? said government employee Nusrat Ali.

Masrur Hussain, an executive member of the mosque committee, said he was hopeful of raising Rs 1 lakh through jaqat (voluntary donation).

Muslims are required to pay fitra, a fixed amount, to the mosque committees before Id prayers, but jaqat is not mandatory.

?A major portion of the amount collected through donations will be given to the earthquake-affected people of Kashmir through the Chief Minister?s Relief Fund,? Hussain said.

Special Id prayers for the victims of the carnage in Karbi Anglong were also held in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar and Nagaon.

In the predominantly Christian state of Nagaland, over 2,000 members of the Muslim community attended the first-ever open-air mass prayer session in a Kohima playground. ?We are collecting money for the affected people and will send the amount to the Prime Minister?s Relief Fund,? said Sahid-ul-Islam, secretary of the Kohima Muslim Welfare Society.

Thousands offered prayers in the commercial town of Dimapur, too.