[27/November/2009]  

CAPITALS, Nov 27 (Saba) - A Saudi religious leader said here Friday that tensions among religious sects should be fended off in order to ensure unity and solidarity among all Muslims, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

In a religious sermon marking Eid al-Adha, Al-Haram Mosque Imam Sheikh Abdullah Khayat sounded the alarm about attempts by some to politicize the hajj season by fomenting sedition among Muslims.
Such bids are only intended to disrupt security and stability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said.
Eid Al-Adha prayers were performed today in the Holy Grand Mosque in Makkah, Prophet's Mosque in Madinah and other regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In the Holy Site of Mina, pilgrims performed Hajj ritual of stoning in a streamlined system according to the prepared grouping plan. In Lebanon, people have commenced the festival with offering Odhia (animal-sacrificing) in spite of high meat prices and deteriorating economic conditions in the country.
However, Odhia rate has fallen in Lebanon this year compared to the previous years owing to its ongoing economic trouble.

A kilogram of mutton costs 20 US dollars in Lebanon, while that of cow meat is sold for 10 US dollars.
In Switzerland, thousands of Muslims out of the 400,000 Muslim community in Switzerland observed Eid al-Adha prayers early morning More than 5,000 Muslims performed the Eid al-Adha prayer in the Geneva Grand Mosque.

A meal is planned for Saturday at the mosque for all Geneva Muslims and the surroundings of the Canton.

On December 1, a festivity is planned at Palexpo for the Muslim community on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

In Rabat, Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), called on the Muslim world to be of one heart and one body just as Allah has commanded. Muslims, he emphasized, have to reject discord and strife, and act in solidarity with one another to solve the problems and conflicts they are faced with.

In his message to the Muslim world on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, Dr Altwaijri said that a deeper cause for the Muslim world's feebleness in political, economic, industrial, social, scientific, educational, technological and other fields is the perpetual state of conflict existing in various parts of the Muslim world.

He stressed that the Muslim blood is sacrosanct and inviolable, and considered it a horrific, mischievous crime against Islam and humanity that a Muslim group rebels and takes arms against their brethren.
In Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Muslims on Eid al-Adha, and hailed the role of Russian Muslims in deepening national unity.

In a message to Muslims on the Kremlin website, the Russian leader considered Eid an occasion for people to get united over the genuine values of Islamic, notably philanthropy, tolerance and peace.
He added that Muslims in Russia had done much to consolidate and bolster interfaith dialogue and to maintain the cultural multiplicity of the Russian society.

In Sarajevo, Bosnian Mufti Mustafa Ceric urged Muslim leaders in his country to sacrifice their party ambitions for the sake of better life conditions for Bosnian Muslims.

In a televised speech on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, Ceric called on Muslim political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to set aside their political and party differences and to seek a unified stand instead so that they can effectively defend the interests of Bosnian Muslims.