Celebrate Syawal as day of peace, forgiveness: Salleh

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians are urged to celebrate Syawal as a day of peace and forgiveness, not only for the good of the ummah but for the good of all Malaysians.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak in his Hari Raya message said it was unfortunate that not all Muslims, in Malaysia and all over the world, understood the spirit of Ramadan and Syawal.
"Conflicts and animosity continue and allowed egos, hatred and anger to cloud our judgement.
"This is not Islam and is not what Ramadan and Syawal stand for. So let us celebrate Syawal as a day of peace and forgiveness," he said in a post on his blog, sskeruak.blogspot.my.
He said the Muslim holy month of Ramadan "is a month when all Muslims are supposed to restrain, refrain and reflect".
"Ramadan is the month we keep our lust and desires in check, we discard our arrogance and temper, we demonstrate humility and humbleness, we harbour compassion and love for others, and we spend our time reflecting on our deeds and our duties.
"In fact, meditation or muraqaba would be what Muslims in fasting should be doing," he said.
Salleh described the first day of Syawal as a day to celebrate victory for Ramadan -- "victory over ourselves, what can be called the small jihad".
"During Ramadan, we not only refrain from eating, drinking and smoking, but also from hurting others, either physically, verbally or emotionally.
"Syawal is the day we ask and offer forgiveness for our transgressions, whether intentionally or otherwise," he said. — Bernama