President Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipino Muslims to foster unity and solidarity “regardless of faith or creed” as he joined the Muslim community in observance of the holy month of Ramadan which starts Friday, despite the pandemic coronavirus.
In his message, President Duterte asked Filipino Muslims to “further lead a life of purity and clarity” and hoped their devotion and sacrifices would reaffirm their commitment to foster unity and solidarity with their fellowmen.
“Let this occasion give us peace amidst the adversity and challenges we face each day,” he said.
Ramadan is considered one of the most blessed months in Islam.
READ: Ramadan on collision course with virus for Asia’s Muslims
“As you embody the religious insights and epiphanies you have gleaned from this undertaking, may you be moved to advance our collective resolve to eschew misguided ideologies so that we may achieve a truly progressive and inclusive society,” he added.
In his message, Duterte said: “I likewise hope that your devotion and sacrifices will reaffirm your commitment to foster unity and solidarity among your fellowmen regardless of faith or creed”
Meanwhile, Ustadz Abuhalil Upam, an Islamic preacher based in Cotabato City, said Islamic scholars believed this year’s fasting required more sacrifices due to the pandemic.
Fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam and obligatory for Muslims worldwide, is also one of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar.
Muslim leaders have canceled all Islamic religious gatherings, including the temporary suspension of the congregational “Taraweeh” prayers in mosques due to the COVID-19 onslaught.
The Ramadan observance is seen as more challenging this year with the whole country and the rest of the world fighting the pandemic, resulting in lockdown measures that have severely restricted the movement of people.
For instance, some religious scholars pointed out that difficulty in buying food for the breaking of the fast at dawn because of the existing lockdown measures.
The fasting month of Ramadan officially begins on April 24, after several moon sighting teams failed to see the crescent moon on Wednesday evening.
“By the authority vested in me as grand mufti in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, I hereby declare that we shall start the fasting month of Ramadhan on Friday, April 24,” Abuhuraira Udasan, grand mufti (the titular head of the Muslim community) in the BARMM and head of Darul Ifta (Islamic House of Opinion), said Wednesday evening.
“The moon sighting teams failed to see the crescent moon tonight, so automatically fasting begins on Friday,” Udasan said.
He admitted Muslims were facing a huge challenge due to the pandemic.
