Mohammed Salem, who is fasting in Tripoli, said, “The division between East and West on such a joyous occasion is hurtful and saddens me. I fear more divisions in our lives in Libya.”
In Tripoli, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dabbah said people should follow the Grand Mufti’s decision to wait until Saturday. Parliament, which supports a rival administration, said Eid began on Friday.
In Libya’s western regions, the division over Eid, which also extended to different members of the same family, partly reflected division over the role of the mufti, Sadiq al-Gharani, who is seen as close to the Muslim Brotherhood. .
The Brotherhood has been party to territorial and political disputes in Libya, including against eastern-based factions and some Salafist Muslim groups.