
The majestic Grand Mosque of Sultan Hadji Hassanal Bolkiah in Cotabato City on Mindanao Island is the biggest in the Philippines. President Benigno Aquino has greeted Muslims as they prepare for the holy month of Ramadhan. (Photo by Mark Navales – Mindanao Examiner)
COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 20, 2012) – Philippine leader Benigno Aquino has greeted Filipino Muslims on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan.
“As the Holy Month of Ramadan begins, we send greetings of solidarity to all our Muslim-Filipino brothers and sisters. The coming weeks shall be dedicated to the solemn fulfillment of the tenets of your spirituality, demanding great sacrifice and due discipline, as an act of surrender to Allah, the beneficent, and all-merciful.”
“These are times when your government has been working with all people of goodwill, to restore trust and confidence in our vital institutions. May we all be filled with this spirit of cooperation, respect, and confidence as we seek the path of peace,” Aquino said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar and usually last for 29 or 30 days according to the visual sightings of the crescent moon. (With a report from Mark Navales)