Muslims call for help for those suffering as holy month ends
National
By
Standard Team
| Apr 11, 2024
Thousands of Muslim faithful joined fellow worshippers across the globe to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan.
After the first sighting of the new crescent moon that brought to an end their month of fasting, Muslims flooded the streets in their hoods on Wednesday morning, culminating into stunning images of prayer gatherings.
In Nairobi, Muslims gathered in various places including the Sir Ali Muslim Club in Pangani, the Masjid Mosque in South C and Eastleigh High School among other places to mark Idd.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale joined the faithful at Eastleigh High School where he said the Ramadhan festival means appreciating the blessings in Muslim faithful's lives and spreading happiness to others.
''It's the canvas upon which we paint our gratitude, the tapestry woven with threads of love, kindness and cherished memories,'' Duale said.
Duale, who was accompanied by Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, urged the congregants to celebrate the day, by remembering others in war-torn countries. ''Let us pray for peace, harmony and prosperity for everyone around the world,'' he added.
Sheikh Abdulatif Abdulkarim of Jamia Mosque urged the citizens to embrace brotherhood. "It is a day of celebrations where families and people come together to share and those the less fortunate," he said at Sir Ali Muslim Club. "It is a day to sort our differences and seek forgiveness among those who disagreed in one way or another," he added.
The Standard also caught up with some worshippers who held the view that there is a need for the opposition and the government to come together to find solutions to the problems facing Kenyans. "We are asking the government and Azimio to put aside matters of politics and find a middle-ground in rescuing the ailing economy," said Mzee Bule.
In Garissa County, the celebrations were marked with calls from religious and political leaders to business people, warning the latter against hoarding goods.
The leader's concerns emerged due to the ongoing heavy rains, with floods cutting off the Nairobi-Garissa highway, fearing that businesses may stop releasing items to the market.
"Even during El Nino so many businesses created artificial shortages and hiked the prices, we have talked to authorities and anyone found action will be taken against them," Sheikh Hassan Amey said.
They were also pained by constant power outages that have plagued the town without any prior warning. "It's unfortunate that despite Garissa connected to the national grid we still have power issues," added Sheikh Amey.
Garissa Township MP Dekow Barow said they have planned for a conference that will bring together all stakeholders to deliberate on possible solutions to tackle the drug abuse menace.
"We know what drugs and substance abuse have done to our society. And the situation is getting worse by the day," said Mr Barow.
Supkem Garissa chairman Sheikh Abdullahi Salat regretted that drug use was on the rise saying it was a big contributor to some of the ills bedeviling society. "The rate at which our youth are consuming drugs is alarming. The situation cannot continue like this," Abdullahi said.
Eid ul-Fitr is a festival celebrated on the first day of the 10th month in the Islamic religious calendar. It is marked with family reunion as families, friends and relatives feast together.
[Okumu Modachi, Abdi Maalim and Mike Kihaki]