|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 24 February 2002 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Muslims should be a bridge for Peace - Azwer "Peace should usher in our motherland for people in the North, South, East and the West to live harmoniously as members of one family in the country. The Muslims should act as a bridge to connect the divided communities of this country", says Alhaj A. H. M. Azwer, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in his Haj message this year. Following is the full text: "Today Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid-Ul-Azha, the Haj festival. All indications show that this year's gathering will be the largest - Insha Allah! On this day Muslims dressed in new clothes offer festival prayers in congregation, thereupon greet each other, seek forgiveness and offer salutations for peace (Salaam). "Every person in Sri Lanka is yearning for peace. It is the bounden duty of all Muslims to pray for lasting peace and prosperity particularly in our motherland. People from North, South, East and the West should live harmoniously as members of one family in Sri Lanka. Muslims should act as a bridge to connect the divided communities of this country. We need to work with much dedication and perseverance as laid out in the teachings of the Holy Qur'an as exemplified by the personality and action of Prophet Muhammed. May peace be upon him! "I am happy to note that much progress has been made during the last couple of months on the road to achieving lasting peace. Roads that have been closed for many years are being opened. Similarly the minds of our people that have been closed for decades should be opened too. These opening of roads and minds should pave the way for greater communication and interaction between all communities in Sri Lanka as in the past. I urge all Muslims to pray for a day when we shall see yet again the Jaffna mango, palmyrah products etc. freely available in Colombo and Malwana rambutan and other products from the South sold in Jaffna. Pray also for a day when Southerners will travel freely to the North and take a bath in Keeramalai Lake and Northerners will travel to Bentota for the same purpose. Such mutual existence should flow freely from every corner of the island uninterruptedly tantamount to the flowing of the Mahaweli River. This is also the aspiration of our government led by the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe who is working tirelessly towards this end. "Haj signifies the spirit of sacrifice, that is, sacrifice everything at our disposal for the sake of Allah (S) including preparedness of surrendering our own lives, in order to restore justice and peace on earth. This spirit was epitomised in the character of Prophet Ibrahim (A), who is regarded as the father of Arabs and Jews according to Islamic teachings. We need to sacrifice many false notions that exist among us in a spirit of brotherhood and tolerance. We must regard our differences as a blessing that must be utilised for the unity of our nation as guided by the Holy Qur'an: "Oh Mankind, we created you from a single pair of male and female and made you into different nations and tribes so that you may understand each other. Not that you may hate each other. In the same spirit, Prophet Muhammed upon whom be peace, in his final speech in Mecca fifteen centuries ago made a moving statement saying: "Oh people, no man is superior to another except in obedience to Allah. Neither is an Arab superior to a non-Arab nor a non-Arab superior to an Arab except through piety". "At this juncture, we should not forget our brethren as well, who are sacrificing their lives and limbs in various parts of the world, Palestine, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Kashmir to name a few. Special mention also should be made of the Muslim youth who sacrificed their lives in Udatalawinna while exercising their democratic rights in December last year and our refugees who underwent immense trials and tribulations. Let us pray with hope that they will be resettled once peace is achieved. A lot of challenges are ahead of us and Islam provides solutions to all these challenges too. Let us seek the pleasure of Almighty by "holding fast on to the fundamental principles of Islam". Eid-Mukarak! |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
