The Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan ended yesterday allowing Canberra’s Muslim community to break its dawn-to-dusk fast which it has been holding for the past 30 days.
Canberra Multicultural Community Forum Vice President Diana Abdel-Rahman said that the next few days would be one of rejoicing and feasting for the community as it marked Ed al-Fitr, one of the most joyous events in the Islamic Calendar.
“In some Muslim countries the celebrations go on for several days, but in Canberra we will have one public festival on 19 September,” Ms Abdel-Rahman said.
“It will be held at John Dunmore lawns (next to Questacon) and is supported by the Australian Federal Police. We are inviting everyone along. It is an interfaith, whole-of-community event.”
Ms Abdel-Rahman thanked Canberrans for showing forbearance to Muslims during the Holy Month.
“Fasting is decreed by our holy book, the Qur’an, helping Muslims to withdraw from the pleasures of the material world and concentrate on contemplation, prayer and good works,” she said.
“It is a mark of the understanding in our multicultural community that the month has passed off without any reported problems.”
She added her voice to mounting condemnation of the plan by a small Florida Christian Church to burn copies of the Qur’an on the ninth anniversary of the 11 September Terrorist attacks on the United States.
“Coming as it does at the end at the end of Ramadan, this despicable and pointless act only proves the point that minority extremist groups do not represent the voice of the majority who oppose this behaviour,” she said.
“We must continue to work to build bridges and conduct ourselves in a manner that is expected by all faiths”.
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