Islamabad-In observance of the holy month of Ramazan, Indonesian and Thai students of the International Islamic University jointly organized an Iftar dinner programme in Islamabad on Monday.
Under the ‘Iftar on the road’ programme, about 1,000 meal packs were prepared by the students and were served at 5 different locations in Islamabad. The initiative was supported by the Indonesia Embassy with the view to promote the Islamic brotherhood and human fraternity.
Indonesian Ambassador Iwan S Amri, his spouse Rita Berlinia Amri and ladies from Indonesian Women Association also attended the iftar meal programme stall setup at the Aabpara location.
Speaking on the occasion, the Ambassador said that Ramazan was the month of self-introspection and restraint and it essentially highlighted the importance of sharing and helping our lesser fortunate fellow human beings. He said that Iftar meals bring people together and promote coherence between different segments of the society. The envoy said that Indonesia with approximately 270 million Muslims had the largest Muslim population in the world. He said that in Indonesia, Ramazam is welcomed by parades and people visit and clean cemeteries and pray for their deceased family members.
He said that there are a lot of festivities and great religious enthusiasm in Indonesia during Ramazan and throughout the month, community-based iftar meals are enjoyed and shared together with families, friends and the poor.
At the stalls setup for the ‘Iftar on the road’ programme, the students assisted by the members of the Indonesian Women Association distributed the meal packs among the people from different walks of life that comprised of dates, water, biryani and chicken tikka.
Meanwhile, Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson sent Eid greetings to Muslims across the world in a special message: “I send my good wishes to Muslims around the world, in Australia and here in Pakistan and across the South Asian region, as they celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr.
She added: “As we celebrate this Eid, we can also recommit ourselves to acting with respect, fairness, equality and compassion towards all, regardless of cultural background, religious beliefs, ethnicity or gender.”
For more than 600,000 Australian Muslims and the almost 62,000 Pakistani Australians, who make a valued contribution to our national life, Eid is a truly special time, the envoy said.
The high commissioner said that Islam had become the second most common religion in Australia, and Pakistani Australians make up the largest of Australia’s Muslim communities.
“Growing people-to-people links, our shared Commonwealth heritage, and passion for cricket form the basis of the enduring friendship between our two nations. May this Eid be a peaceful and joyous celebration for all. Eid Mubarak!” she said.