Changing Our Routines For the Greater Good

Bula vinaka, and As-salamu alaykum. As the month of Ramadan ends, I’d like to share a few moments speaking not only with the Muslim members of our Fijian community, but with all Fijians. Eid is more than a simple conclusion to weeks of prayer and fasting, it is a deeply spiritual culmination for a community that has come together to test their willpower, their patience, and their faith.

But as mosques, like all of our houses of worship, were closed throughout the duration of Ramadan, the virtues of this month have been made even more evident.

So I thank those who displayed willpower in adhering to our physical distancing measures.

I thank those who showed patience by forgoing the usual mass prayers.

And I thank those who fortified their faith, knowing that these changes to our routines were for the greater good.

There have been few times in living memory when those tests of the human character have been felt so sharply, not just during Ramadan, and not just by our Muslim sisters and brothers, but by everyone, everywhere, of every religion. Without physically gathering as a community, this Ramadan has certainly felt different.

But I have been proud to watch Fijian Muslims, just like Fijian Christians, Hindus, and all worshippers, show that faithfulness cannot be broken by distance or disease.

The added sacrifice the past month has proven that we can come out of COVID-19 not fractured, but closer to each other, and closer to God than ever before.

So let us all take a lesson from the end of Ramadan, culminating in this celebration of Eid, knowing that our willpower, patience, and faith can allow us to overcome even the most intimidating challenges. Because when we reflect on the true meaning of community, we will realize that especially in times of great struggle and strife, it can be found everywhere we look.

Eid Mubarak, and God bless Fiji.