JEDDAH, 5 December 2002 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd yesterday urged Muslims all over the world to project the true picture of Islam, a religion of peace, tolerance and mercy.
“Islam is a religion of mercy and a source of prosperity for the whole mankind,” said King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, in a joint Eid Al-Fitr message.
“Islam has prohibited aggression against (peaceful) people and terrorizing them,” the message said.
The king and the crown prince hoped that the international community would back the Saudi-initiated Arab peace plan, endorsed by the Beirut summit, to establish lasting peace and stability in the region.
“We also hope that the return of international weapons inspectors to Iraq will bring about peace and security to the region and save Iraq and its people from danger and destruction,” said the message, which was read out on Saudi Television by Information Minister Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy.
The Supreme Judiciary Council announced yesterday that Eid Al-Fitr will be celebrated in the Kingdom today after the sighting of Shawwal moon by a number of people yesterday evening.
Most Arab countries including Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will celebrate Eid today.
King Fahd and Prince Abdullah, meanwhile, received messages of Eid greetings from US President George W. Bush and other world leaders including Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami.
In their Eid message, King Fahd and Prince Abdullah also urged Muslims to follow the teachings of Islam in all walks of life and set a good example for other communities.
