JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Saturday congratulated Muslims all over the world on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr and urged them to treat the less fortunate with a spirit of compassion and solidarity.
“Let your Eid be a celebration of love and compassion,” King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan said in a joint message to the nation.
Earlier, the Royal Court announced that Sunday (today) will be the first day of Eid Al-Fitr in Saudi Arabia after a number of people in Taif sighted the Shawwal crescent Saturday evening. The Supreme Court ratified the testimonies of people who sighted the new moon.
The message from the king and the crown prince, which was read out on Saudi Television by Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja, called upon Muslims to strengthen their social bonds.
“Let us spread happiness ... and let us spread hope wherever we go and let us make this Eid a great opportunity to enliven the spirit of compassion and cooperation,” the message said.
King Abdullah and Prince Sultan thanked God for bestowing His blessings on the Kingdom and its people.
“Islam is the greatest blessing of God and Eid that comes after the holy month of Ramadan is one of its features,” the message read.
The king and the crown prince urged Muslims in the Kingdom and elsewhere in the world to compete with one another in charitable activities in order to remove and lessen the pain of others.
King Abdullah received a number of telephone calls and cables from Muslim heads of state, including Sultan Qaboos of Oman and King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, congratulating him on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. The king and the crown prince sent similar congratulatory cables to world leaders.
In a related development, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), extended his congratulations to Muslims all over the world on the occasion.
“Eid is a harbinger of goodness and hope,” he said while urging Muslims to stand united in order to defend their religion and respective cultures.
The OIC chief urged all member countries to extend their all-out support to the Palestinians to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
He emphasized the need to protect the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem and prevent the move to “Judaize” the city.
Also, the culture and information minister said a new Saudi television channel for children named “Ajyal” would be launched today, on the first day of Eid.
“It’s our duty to present good programs for our children in order to improve their levels of thinking and enhance their various capabilities,” the minister told officials in charge of the channel.
