Happy Eid-ul-Adha to one and all!

Sep 24, 2015 News

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As the celebration of Eid-ul-Adha is observed today, Kaieteur News extends heartfelt Eid greetings to the Muslim Community and the rest of the country.

Also extending greetings is the coalesced A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change Government and a few other organizations whose messages are below:

 

Government of Guyana

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, we are reminded of the value of sacrifice and obedience to God. The Government of the Cooperative Republic Guyana recognises the importance of this sacrifice which symbolises selflessness and faith and wishes our Muslim brothers and sisters Eid Mubarak.

Eid-ul-Adha is a time when Muslims reflect on the values of self-denial by making a sacrifice in honour of God Almighty. Prophet Abraham’s great act of submission is thus regarded as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God. In today’s society brotherhood of humanity can advance further if there is a greater appreciation of the need to incorporate the lessons of this great sacrifice into our daily lives.

The Government would like to thank the Muslim community for all their contributions and charitable work towards the betterment of Guyana and looks forward for their continued leadership in this regard.

This is also an appropriate occasion for us to reaffirm the call for national unity among our people. We are a people of diverse origins but a common destiny and it is imperative that we cooperate for the purposes of national advancement.

We face challenges of living in a globalised world and unjust threats to our national sovereignty and we need each other to overcome these challenges. The onus is on us as a nation to work hand in hand with people who have faith in the essential goodness of humankind.

The message of Eid-ul-Adha is an example of the discipline and commitment needed, if we are to build Guyana into a nation which affords a good life for all Guyanese.

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People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)

The People’s National Congress Reform extends Eid-ul-Adha greetings to all Guyanese, but more especially to our Muslim Brothers and Sisters, we say Eid Mubarak.

The preparedness of the Holy Prophet to make the supreme sacrifice, as proof of his total commitment to the teachings of Allah, should inspire us all to strive towards the ideals of brotherly love, peace, justice and empathy towards one another.

It is only by the personal commitment of each Guyanese citizen to the above stated ideals that our country can develop into a Nation characterised by unity, harmony and a sense of decency.

The PNCR has always been and will always remain respectful of Guyana’s cultural and religious diversity and believes that our diversity has worked and can continue to work to the country’s advantage. In this latter regard, it should be remembered that it was the PNC Government, under its Founder Leader, Forbes Burnham, which paved the way for each of the country’s major religious groups to observe their holy days as National Holidays.

Our Party remains committed to ensuring unity in diversity so that our beloved country can experience real development and progress. Eid Mubarak!

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Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) 

The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) salutes Guyana’s Islamic community on the occasion of one of their more inspiration festivals of their faith.

Eid-ul-Adha stands out for a variety of reasons. The lessons of sacrifice and service emanating from Ibrahim’s obedience to God’s command to sacrifice his son are as powerful today as they were unprecedented in Mecca thousands of years ago. The Eid-ul-Adha story is also strikingly similar to the Christian version in the Holy Bible. The message of obedience to the divine wall and the need for sacrifices before achievement is, therefore, still universal.

FITUG urges Muslims and all Guyana to explore briefly the powerful origins of Eid-ul-Adha. It will be discovered that the Supreme Creator finds ways to test the sincerity of faith of so-called believers. And it will be realized that selflessness can eventually bear fruit even for an obedient adherent to righteous beliefs and guidance.

Sacrifice for progress is needed in the Guyana of today. FITUG sees the need for give-and-take and compromise in national life and undertaken even if one party feels that it will “lose” something somehow. Sacrifice is often a forerunner and ingredient for success – at both personal and community/national levels.

May this Eid-ul-Adha festival 2015 inspire Muslims to influence all Guyanese to higher causes of service and obedience in the national interest. Happy Eid-ul-Adha

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Anna Catherina Islamic Complex

Islam celebrates two great festivals annually, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The first is the great festival that follows the month of Ramadan and the second occurs about two months later, when an animal is sacrificed in commemoration of the steadfastness of Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. This festival, incorporated in the great pilgrimage to Mecca, is also observed all over the Muslim world at the same time. The underlying importance of this festival is the spirit of sacrifice (qurbani) in memory of Prophet Abraham’s great act of faith many centuries ago.

Eid-ul-Adha is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of the things we love, to God almighty. Prophet Abraham’s great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God and is to be followed as such. Today, more than ever, human beings need to incorporate the lessons of this great sacrifice into our lives.

Qurbani offers lessons to all persons aspiring to become leaders or who are leaders. God had said to Abraham, “I have made you the father of many nations”. Because of his faith, God had made him both a prime example of true faith among men and also the father of the faithful. God approved both his faith and trust and accordingly decreed that those who had faith like Abraham were to become his sons and be blessed like him. Therefore, any leader must display the character of our great Prophet Abraham, especially his willingness to sacrifice everything he loved, for the ultimate hereafter. No one can be blessed with leadership, if he displays no feeling, care and love for his fellow human beings.

The world in which we live faces us with difficult choices. Our guidance comes from our willingness to turn toward God and to find peace within ourselves. Then and only then will we feel content in our choices. Our global society could and should be an example of co-existence and cooperation, of mutual benefit and human concern. Muslims need to create an inner environment of peace and faith, of tranquility, non-violence, and security. Then we can hope to find solidarity and to create cooperation by supporting one another, standing by one another in what is good and right and needed for success, growth, and sustainability. We are to let everyone know the true basis of Islam, its real values, its true principles, its way of life based on pluralism, democratic principles, faith, and mutual respect. Islam abhors and condemns terrorism and aggression, espouses peace and security and safety for all people regardless of nationality or religion or gender or race.

Let us not forget our poor and needy brothers and sisters as we observe this festival, by sharing our sacrificial offerings with them. It is our sincere hope and prayer that we are able to affirm the unity possible among Muslims, and between Muslims and other religions. We face the challenges of living in a globalized world where there is greater alienation and distance between classes of individuals based on economics and education. We must work hand in hand with people who have faith in the essential goodness of humankind.

 

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