Eid festival marred by Jakarta stampede

Updated September 21, 2009 19:58:50

Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid - the festival marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Besides fasting, it's customary during Ramadan to make a special effort to give to charity. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, many give to beggars at traffic intersections and on the streets. That culminates in cash and food handouts at the start of Eid, which can cause chaos, as it did today when around a dozen people were injured in a stampede near the main city hall, where food parcels were being given out. City officials say the generosity fuels what they call 'seasonal begging', and that not everyone looking for charity is poor.

Presenter: Katie Hamann

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