Anifah wishes all Christians a blessed Easter
KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dato’ Sri Anifah Haji Aman yesterday wished all Christians a blessed Easter weekend.
In his Easter message yesterday, Anifah said that Good Friday marked the solemn beginning of Easter Weekend, the holiest Christian holidays.
“Growing up in Sabah, with its highly diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, I understand the sheer importance and symbolism this weekend brings to the adherents of Christianity. Across the denominations, the themes of sacrifice and resurrection are embraced as the leitmotif. These values are not alien to me. As a Muslim, I was raised to respect and cherish everyone regardless of their creed,” he said.
“Sadly the beauty we learned from acceptance of differences began to fade in the face of extremism. We conveniently forget that we share many similar values and outlook - values such as acceptance, love and respect.
“Which is why as the Foreign Minister, I have taken the promotion of moderation as both a professional and personal responsibility. In the United Nations, Malaysia has successfully ensured that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Malaysia’s resolution on moderation. Small steps, but a-thousand-mile journey starts with one. During my tenure as the Foreign Minister, Malaysia has also established its diplomatic presence in the Vatican City - an unprecedented move,” Anifah continued.
“These moves might not be significant to some, but to me it speaks volumes - as it reflects our ethos of moderation amd acceptance. Once again I wish all Christians a blessed Easter weekend,” he said.