Muslim leaders deserve praise for religious tolerance

The Muslim world last tuesday observed Eid-Ul-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, regarded as the second most important festival for adherents of the Islamic faith.

Eid-Ul-Adha celebrates the occasion when Allah appeared to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God.

The occasion also marked the climax of one Hajj season and the beginning of preparations for yet another.

These celebrations or festivals are key pillars of Islam that any faithful must observe and always keep holy.

Eid-Ul-Adha climaxes the pilgrimage to Mecca for prayers by the Muslim faithful at least once in a lifetime.

The performance of the pilgrimage to Mecca in the past had been bedevilled by serious challenges such as the inability of the organisers to fly the faithful within the stipulated period.

This year’s organisation of the Hajj has been without the usual hiccups of delays in securing flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the religious exercise.

The prospective pilgrims used to sleep in the open at the El-Wak Stadium until Zoomlion Company provided tents at the place to protect them against the vagaries of the weather.

The same company has provided structures at the permanent Hajj Village at the Kotoka International Airport.

Although there are few outstanding issues that members of the Muslim community raise about the organisation of the Hajj, we think that for sometime now the organisers have been doing their best to address the challenges.

We are also happy that this year’s celebration has been incident-free to a very large extent.

Indeed, that is what the Eid is all about. Every Muslim is required to use the Eid to control his or her desires, exercise a sound self-control in order to enjoy a disciplined life.

When the Muslim gathered in their congregation last Tuesday, they prayed for forgiveness and strength of faith and all Muslims also know that those who approach God with sincerity receive His mercy and forgiveness.

There is one thing that is going well for the country that must be attributed to the peaceful co-existence of faith in the country. And that is the stability and unity among people of different political persuations, creed or colour.

It was for this reason that President John Mahama did not mince words when he said to the Muslim faithful at the Independence Square in Accra last Tuesday that the “peace and love is the basis of every religion, and that there are verses in the Old Testament and the Quran supporting those virtues.

The Daily Graphic wishes all Muslims happy Eid Mubarak.

Daily Graphic/Ghana