President Anthony Carmona said news reports of the last few days confirm, in graphic fashion, T&T is hurting. “We are becoming a nation in which too many persons follow their baser instincts, acting with a sense of false justification and a lack of personal accountability.” Carmona made the observation in his Eid message and said he sincerely hopes the celebration of the Muslim festival will serve as a national call for restraint, self-control and discipline. “In heeding this call and adhering to the message of benevolence and compassion as lived by the holy Prophet Muhammad, the prophet of mercy, we can regain the soul of this blessed Republic.”
Carmona said the Muslim faith has undergirded the achievements of numerous sons and daughters of the soil, including the late President Noor Hassanali, T&T’s second President and the first Muslim Head of State in the Americas. “Today, Muslims here at home join with approximately 1.6 billion others worldwide in marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, an annual observance of one of the Five Pillars of Islam.” Carmona said the holy month of Ramadan, however, is more than just abstaining from food and drink for a season. “During this holy period, Muslims spend more time in prayer and introspection, and are also more mindful of the poor and needy,” he said.
“The holy Prophet Muhammad said, ‘He who abstains from food and drink during the period of fasting, but does not restrain himself from uttering a falsehood, starves himself to no purpose.’ “The holy month of Ramadan, therefore, speaks to the human ability to exercise restraint by developing the virtues of discipline, self-control and self-denial for the greater good, virtues our entire society would do well to follow. ”