The Fiji Times

PM wishes Muslims peace, happiness

- By FELIX CHAUDHARY

THE Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimaram­a, wished all Muslim “sisters and brothers peace and happiness on this day and every day after” as they celebrate Prophet Mohammed’s birthday today.

Mr Bainimaram­a said Fijians should take a leaf out of Prophet Mohammed’s book by understand­ing that nothing else defines us but our good deeds, love of God and love of fellowmen.

FIJIANS should take a leaf out of Prophet Muhammad’s book by understand­ing that nothing else defines us but our good deeds, love of God and love of fellowmen.

This was the message from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimaram­a to the country as thousands of Muslims celebrate Prophet Mohammed’s birthday today.

“I’d like to share a parting message he delivered during his final sermon, standing before his fellow pilgrims in the shadow of Mt Arafat,” the PM said.

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve. “An Arab has no superiorit­y over a nonArab, nor a non-Arab has any superiorit­y over an Arab.

“A white has no superiorit­y over a black, nor a black has any superiorit­y over white — except by piety and good action.

“Some 1400 years later, these words — this spirit of inclusivit­y, of tolerance, and of equality — transcend any one religion or system of belief, and can inspire Fijians of all faiths. As Fiji celebrates 50 years of independen­ce, and reflects on the many lessons of those years, one thing is certain, we are strongest when we recognise that no person has a God-given superiorit­y over another.

“It is not our ethnicity, our background, or our creed that defines us.

“No, only our good deeds, and our love for both God and our fellow Fijians show our true character as both individual­s and as a nation.

“I wish our Muslim sisters and brothers peace and happiness on this day and every day after.”

I wish our Muslim sisters and brothers peace and happiness on this day and every day after Voreqe Bainimaram­a

 ?? Picture: FILE ?? Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimaram­a.
Picture: FILE Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimaram­a.
 ?? Picture: SHIRAZ KASIM ?? About 1000 patrons gathered to the Ma’unatul Islam Associatio­n-organised Jashne Eid Milaad Un Nabi celebratio­ns at the Kshatriya Hall in Tavua yesterday.
Picture: SHIRAZ KASIM About 1000 patrons gathered to the Ma’unatul Islam Associatio­n-organised Jashne Eid Milaad Un Nabi celebratio­ns at the Kshatriya Hall in Tavua yesterday.

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