BARKA DA SALLAH (October 13, 2007)

ONCE again, Muslims throughout the world have completed a month-long spiritual obligation and it is just appropriate that we congratulate them on their endurance and self-denial within the period.
It is important that all Muslims sustain such self-control and discipline in whatever they do in their whole lifetime. Islam preaches peace and discipline, and that is why it is expected that Muslims will continue to demonstrate peace and also keep the peace wherever they find themselves.
It is only by leading lives based on such consciousness after the Holy month of Ramadan that we, as a people, can reap the expected benefits from the endurance that we have undergone. As the Holy Qur’an mentions, it is only through this that we may become God-fearing (Qur’an 2:183).
It is on the strength of this injunction of the Holy Qur’an that the Daily Graphic wishes all Muslims a Happy Barka Da Sallah on their celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr today.
Our appeal particularly goes to Muslim youth to maintain and sustain the sense of discipline that all Muslims around the world upheld during the month of Ramadan.
Today should be a day of reflection and balance for all Muslims. They must reflect on this important month and continue to pray that the Almighty Allah will forgive us and continue to shower His bountiful blessings on us all.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, enjoins Muslim youths to allow law and order to prevail especially during the fiesta that follows the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers.
The disregard for law and order, undoubtedly, gives a different meaning to the celebration in particular, and Islam as a whole, especially when the youth cause traffic jams, unnecessary road blocks and reckless riding of motorbikes in the city.
We feel it was against this background that the Accra Regional Police Command advised all Muslims in the region to go about their celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr in a peaceful and responsible manner.
The Police Administration has also cautioned all Muslims that it would not tolerate any breach of the peace in any community as it used to during such celebrations when Muslim youth used the occasion to block roads, ride unregistered motorbikes, vandalise property and cause general mayhem in certain parts of the city.
Coincidentally, the President of the Ghana Muslim Academy, Brother Seth Ibrahim Owusu, has also pleaded with the law enforcement agencies to protect the lives of innocent road users by ensuring that the right thing is done at all times and on all occasions.
The Daily Graphic joins Muslims around the world in celebrating the Eid-ul-Fitr. It also hopes and prays that this celebration will help promote peace, unity and co-existence between all Muslims and Christians in the country and around the globe.