Friday, September 10 2010

ACTING PRESIDENT of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency, Senator Timothy Hamel-Smith, on behalf of his family and himself has extended greetings to the Muslim community today on their celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.

“The season of Ramadan has special meaning to Muslims, all over the world, and in Trinidad and Tobago, the culmination of this period in a national holiday has served as a focal point, not only for Muslims, but for many non-Muslims as well. This is a feature of our multi-cultural society, which we ought not to take for granted, given the other reality that has prevailed in several other countries.

Our celebration, this year, is taking place amidst circumstances which have touched us, as they have others elsewhere in the world, in such a way as to provide opportunity to keep us mindful of the situation of the less fortunate among us. The world economy has remained, by large, in a state of stasis, with consequent increase in the number of the working poor and penury for many.

Zakhaat is a means whereby the Muslim community demonstrates its undertaking of the need to be one’s brother’s keeper, and this has brought relief to families in need. Material circumstances have changed, for many of us, but the discipline of sharing, as a tenet of the faith, can help to consolidate community. It is a practice worthy of consideration by all of us who are in a position to meet a need for sustenance, where it arises and of which we are aware. Fasting, another requirement during this period, speaks to the human ability to exercise restraint. Again, it is a feature of the period that bears emulation, where there is a choice and the message goes beyond abstinence from food, even to relationships among ourselves. More importantly, it inculcates the virtue of postponing pleasure, a virtue which our society would do well to emulate.

But it is not only the external manifestations of the season that should be of significance. Indeed, by themselves, they would hardly be meaningful if they do not go beyond a prescribed season. Together with the call to deeper contemplation during Ramadan, these actions provide a formula for better living throughout the year.