Duterte calls for ‘unity, mutual respect, peace’ in diversity on Eid’l Adha
AS Muslims celebrate Eid’l Adha on Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed hope that the celebration would “bind” Filipinos together to build “diverse communities rooted in mutual respect and peace.”
Eid’l Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow Allah’s command to sacrifice his son, Ismail.
It is the second major festival of Islam aside from Eid’l Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan when Muslims are bound by their faith to observe fasting for 30 days.
“I trust that in the midst of our religious traditions, we will find the strength and inspiration to live a life that transcends social, political and cultural barriers,” Duterte said in his message on Eid’l Adha.
The President also called for Muslims to “embody courage and conviction” to rise above the challenges the country faces.
“Today, we do not only commemorate the admirable act of being obedient to one’s God, but also celebrate the significance of faith in our pursuit of meaningful transformation. As Muslims all over the world honor this remarkable sacrifice, I hope that you will be more inspired to embody courage and conviction in all of the challenges we face as a nation,” Duterte said.
Filipino Muslims flock to the Quirino Grandstand for morning prayer to mark and celebrate the Eid al-Adha in Manila on August 21, 2018. PHOTO BY DANTE DIOSINA JR.
Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go echoed the same message, in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
“May the collective commemoration of the day be a way for us to continue to understand and unite towards a more peaceful and progressive [country],” Go said.
Last week, Duterte declared Eid’l Adha as a regular holiday.
Go said Duterte’s declaration of a holiday showed the administration and all Filipinos’ respect for all religions.
Eid’l Adha is observed annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar.
Coincidentally, August 21 is also Ninoy Aquino Day, a national non-working holiday in the Philippines that remembers the assassination of then senator Benigno Aquino Jr. on the tarmac of the former Manila International Airport (MIA), renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), in 1983.
Aquino, a political prisoner of then president Ferdinand Marcos, was returning to the Philippines after three years of being in the US where he underwent heart surgery.
Aquino was jailed for seven years after Marcos declared martial law and was only released for humanitarian considerations.
Aquino’s death provided the spark that would later spur a nation to stage a bloodless revolution against a 20-year dictator, led by the senator’s widow, Corazon, who would then be catapulted to the presidency following the ouster of Marcos. RALPH VILLANUEVA
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