DAMASCUS, (ST)- President Bashar Al-Assad, accompanied by Awqaf Minister (Religious Endowments) and a number of senior state officials, performed the prayer of Eid al-Adha at al-Afram Mosque in Damascus.
Imam of the Afram Mosque, Shiekh Hassan Awad, said in his Eid sermon that Eid al-Adha reminds us of the day when Prophet Mohammad stood at Arafat Mount to urge people to enhance good manners and adopt the values of justice, amity, tolerance, cooperation and patience, which are principles in Islam.
“Today, on the contrary, some people have deviated from the right path of true Islam and adopted extremist ideas that created terrorism and encouraged criminality,” said Sheikh Awad, reiterating that those people have nothing to do with Islam, the tolerant religion that calls for peace and stability not killing and destruction.
Eid al-Adha is the second significant religious festival of Islam. It marks the completion of the rituals of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and symbolizes sacrifice, patience and faith.
In a televised statement on Saturday, Awaqaf Minister hailed the sublime meaning of Eid al-Adha and said that Islam is the religion of tolerance, dialogue and good manners. He stressed that all who practice extremism, terrorism, killing, vandalism and destruction don’t belong to Islam.
He urged national unity and cooperation to rebuild Syria and lead the country to prosperity.
Hamda Mustafa