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Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader & Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader & Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader

Parliamentarians extend good wishes to Muslims

Members of Parliament (MPs) have expressed good wishes to Muslims as they celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.  They described the Ramadan as a period of spiritual and physical cleansing for Muslims.

The legislators cautioned Muslim youth against reckless riding of motorbikes and driving during the celebration to avoid any loss of lives and injury.

The MP for Salaga North, Alhaji Mumuni Alhassan, set the tone for the good wishes when he read a statement on the Ramadan fast in Parliament last Friday.

Holiday

Alhaji Alhassan said the Islamic lunar calendar was not predictable because it ended with either 29 or 30 days.

Therefore, he said, it was difficult to fix the holiday a month before time.

Alhaji Alhassan said in other jurisdictions, three days were dedicated for the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration to cater for the unpredictability and give Muslims enough time to celebrate the occasion.

He, therefore, asked the government to consider increasing the one-day holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr to two days.

Alhaji Alhassan said the two-day celebration would give Muslims enough time for the celebration.

Besides, institutions would be able to plan for the celebration a month before time.

Alhaji Alhassan, however, said there should be a caveat for the additional holiday to be relaxed when one of the days fell on a holiday or on a weekend.

Significance of Ramadan

The MP for Wa Central, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, said Eid-ul-Fitr marked the end of a spiritual exercise of fasting, and it was a period of deep reflection and soul searching.

Alhaji Pelpuo said the Ramadan fast was a blissful period as it was in that month that the Holy Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) on the Night of Power.

The MP for Bole Bamboi, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, said the Ramadan fast was an obligation for Muslims to gain spiritual perfection.

He referred to Qur'an Chapter 2 versus 183, which says: "O you who believe fasting has been made obligatory to you as was made obligatory to those before you that you may attain piety."

Alhaji Sulemana asked the Muslim youth to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr in moderation by avoiding rough riding of motorbikes and driving since it was a period of reflection but not recklessness.

Reaction to the holiday request

The Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr should foster prosperity, peace and togetherness in the country.

He called for circumspection in the request for an additional holiday, otherwise other religious groups would also make other demands.

"Together we constitute one country. Let us cherish what we have," he said.

The First Deputy Minority Whip, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, said additional holidays might not be too good for a lower-middle income country like Ghana.

He said when Ghanaians began to make comparisons, the peaceful coexistence among them would be affected.

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