Moslems all over the world on Friday observed the Eid-ul-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice.
In Accra, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs addressed a large congregation of Muslims at the Independence Square on behalf of the President.
He urged Ghanaians to study the positive indications in this year's budget and work hard to complement government efforts to achieve better living conditions for all.
He said this year's budget, presented by the Finance Minister to Parliament was meant to further reduce inflation from 21 per cent to a targeted 13 per cent and to reward the Ghanaian worker for his hard work.
Eid-ul-Adha is an important religious festival, celebrated to commemorate the singular act of faith and sacrifice by the prophet Abraham, who was ready to offer his beloved son, Ishmael, as a sacrifice to Allah.
In remembrance to that act, every mature Muslim, is required, as a
matter of religious duty, to slaughter ram, cattle or camel as sacrifice to God.
Islamic teachings say that the significance of the festival lies not in the physical act of shedding of animals' blood, but rather the symbolic gesture of sacrifice and obedience to Allah.
The festival of Eid ul-Adha provides Muslims the world over, an opportunity to congregate for prayers, thanksgiving, meditation and reflection on events of the previous year; and also provides millions of Muslims an opportunity to travel to Mecca and to Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage or Hajj-one of the five pillars of Islam.
Sheikh Ibrahim C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, referred to President Kufuor's State of the Nation Address and reaffirmed the government's determination to make Ghana a better place to live.
He described this year's budget statement as focused and consistent for the economic aspirations of the nation. "This is a budget for growth and business and puts us on the road for prosperity."
Sheikh Quaye reminded Muslims that much as the Eid brought a message of peace to the world and goodwill to all men, the road to peace laid not in self-seeking, "but in self-giving, regarding and tolerating every human being as your brother and sister and sharing whatever you have for sacrifice with them."
In a sermon read on behalf of the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, who is on pilgrimage to Mecca, by Sheikh Sani Muratala, a leading Islamic scholar, he exhorted Muslims to be wary of the temptations of the devil and fight to reject him with strong faith in Allah.
He called for consultation and good communication lines between parents and their children in the taking of decisions and asked affluent Muslims to demonstrate in more practical terms their determination to reduce poverty in their communities through sacrifices.
In welcome address, Alhaji Gado Mohammed, Member of the Advisory Committee to the National Chief Imam, expressed the appreciation of the Muslim community to the government for passing the National Reconciliation Bill and promised that they would exert their maximum effort to promote peace and understanding among Muslims in the country as well as Ghanaians of other religious faiths.
"In the pursuit of this objective, we shall exercise the spirit of sacrifice symbolised by the Eid-ul-Adha, in resolving religious and ethnic conflicts wherever and whenever they rear their ugly heads," he said.
