Hon Alhassan Mumuni
Salaga North

Mr Speaker, I thank you for this rare opportunity to make a Statement in this august House on the significance of the celebration of Eid ul Fitr, which marks the end of a monthlong spiritual exercise of fasting by Muslims all over the world.

Mr Speaker, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which marks the period of Muslims observing spiritual exercise of self-denial of food and water and other worldly things that nourish their body. Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam, mandating every practicing Muslim to observe his or her fast upon sighting of the moon, which has to be observed for 29 or 30 days. This month signifies the period of sacrifice where Muslims cultivate the habit of empathy and self-discipline by refraining from food and water from dawn to sunset.

Mr Speaker, after going through a month-long fasting, Muslims all over the world observe Eid-ul Fitr to signify the successful end of their self-discipline and sacrifice they go through during the month of fast. Eid ul Fitr celebrations is the time for Muslims to stay true to the tenets of selflessness, forgiveness and empathy to mankind.

Mr Speaker, it will be recalled that, on the 22nd June 2017, I made a Statement on this Floor to the effect that Government should add an extra day for the celebration of Eid ul Fitr in order to curb the unpredictability of the lunar month of Ramadan, which is either 28 or 30 days. H. E. John Dramani Mahama, through the Minister for the Interior, has indicated that celebration for this year will span for two days.

On behalf of the Muslim Ummah in the country and on my own behalf, I wish to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic for listening to our plea and the plea of many other Muslims in Ghana. Worthy of note is the way our Muslim youth conduct themselves during Eid celebrations. This festival symbolises modesty and selfretrospection and ought to be celebrated with moderation. I, therefore, wish to appeal to our Muslim brothers and sisters to approach these celebrations with utmost humility and self-discipline. Actions of some youth during Eid celebrations has painted the image of Islam in the bad light, therefore defeating the main essence of the festival of reflection, solidarity and commitment to one’s faith.

Eid-ul Fitr, though Islam in nature, should be all-encompassing and inclusive, promoting inter-faith harmony and social cohesion. I, therefore, urge non-Muslims to get involved in the celebrations in order to consolidate the peace and harmony we enjoy in this country. I want to use this opportunity to wish the good people of Salaga North Constituency Eid Mubarak in advance.

Thank you very much Mr Speaker for the opportunity.

Hon Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah
Salaga South

Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by my neighbour, the MP for Salaga North.

Mr Speaker, Eid-ul Fitr is the fourth pillar of Islam, and the Holy Quran enjoins every Muslim who is not of ill health and capable of fasting to commit and dedicate their iman to fasting for a one-month period which sometimes spans either 29 or 30 days.

Mr Speaker, within this period, the Muslim is enjoined to carry on our affairs dedicating everything that we do to the Almighty, and worshipping the Almighty Allah. In so doing, this religious activity comes along with a lot of humanitarian activities so that people who are not able on their own to travel the one-month path of fasting get some assistance from relatives, friends, sometimes from our brothers and sisters who are not in the same faith with us.

Mr Speaker, it is a month that gives off to humanity. It is a month that tests our resilience and our faith in our religion. And so, I want to commend and celebrate every single Muslim who has been able to endure this month-long fast.

Mr Speaker, this morning I was at a breakfast event, and there was so much food around but I had to resist the temptation because holding on to my faith as a Muslim, I believe, is what drives all of us to greater humanity.

Mr Speaker, there are a lot of people in our communities who are vulnerable. And at this time, the more we give out, the more blessings we get to support our fast. As we get into the Eid celebrations, the same scenario plays out. There are a lot of Muslims who would fast, but then when Eid is knocking, they begin to wonder. I remember when we were growing up, when Eid comes, that was when most homes cooked rice because we tend to use the Eid celebration as a day of nourishment.

And so, we eat a lot of meat, we eat a lot of rice, we take a lot of beverages to try and make up for what we would have given up in the month of Ramadan. So, as the days close, I want to urge my Colleagues here, if there is any way that we can support our friends and family members who we know or we think need some assistance, it will go a long way to help them in celebrating the Eid.

Mr Speaker, I cannot sit down without thanking His Excellency the President for the additional holiday he has given to us in recognition that on the first holiday, we are primarily going to the mosque and cooking; the second day is when we can rest. And so, we are very grateful to His Excellency for taking cognisance of this and granting us this additional holiday.

We are grateful. Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.

Hon Fred Kyei Asamoah
Offinso North

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I think it is no wrong that human beings in their time tend to go through such a thing. And in the wisdom of this House too, we have set up a committee to focus on Chieftaincy, Culture and Religious Affairs because religion has a role to play in everybody’s life. And as the previous speakers said, the Muslim brothers are celebrating and making sure that they go through a month of fasting, which will end up with the Eid-ul-Fitr.

Mr Speaker, we are wishing our Muslim brothers all the best because we believe that this is not only going to help them get closer to their maker, but it is also going to help improve on their health.

I believe in this month, a majority of them will end up losing some weight and probably bring their cholesterol down. We believe that this month of fasting should bring us more peace as a nation and also bring togetherness as a nation. It is not our fault that one group is a Christian or the other is a Muslim but we live in harmony; we are a peaceful country. We have a majority of us being Christians and a lot of us being Muslims.

Mr Speaker, I will not end without saying something to the people of Offinso North. I have a huge Muslim community in my Constituency from Nkwankwa all the way up to Afrancho and the small towns of Seseko and Nyamebekyere; all those towns are in my Constituency and there are a lot of Muslims. We wish them the best. They should know that as they pray and come to the end of the month of prayer, the day of celebration should also be a peaceful one to also make sure that we can benefit from the prayers they have been able to do throughout the month.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.