Eid-ul-Fitr Message of the Afghan Ambassador

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr 2003, I send my warmest wishes to our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, including thousands of Afghan compatriots, and the wider Australian and New Zealand communities.

This year, I spent a good part of the holy month of Ramadan in Afghanistan. I was pleased to see our people enjoying the traditional way of celebrating this month and having the opportunity to gather at local mosques and offering regular prayers to God Almighty, in peace. The abundance of affordable food available for breaking fast was another sign of recovery.

We must salute the positive contribution of the international community to the current peace and stability of our country. Further consolidation of security gains requires the continuation of this support and speedy progress in rebuilding the infrastructure and increasing the capacity and capability of Afghanistan itself.

Tragically, this Eid our world is still the scene of terror and violence. For the past two years, thousands of civilians, most of them Muslims, have fallen victim to the terrorist attacks in different cities of the world. This is despite the massive international campaign against terrorist networks. Perhaps more attention has been given to combating terrorism in the battlefield and less attention is directed to addressing the root causes. Not only have most causes of terrorism not been fully addressed, but also new causes have been added to the list. In certain parts of the world, the aggressive nature of the campaign against terrorism, devoid of preventive measures, may have provoked the mobilization of more radical and extremist elements.

Maybe it is time to evaluate and revise the campaign against terrorism and find new creative ways to tackle this menace.

I hope the blessings of Eid bring peace and stability to the lives of underprivileged and those in the under-developed and developing countries, as well as those in the developed world.

Mahmoud Saikal
Ambassador
20 November 2003

 
 

 

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