Congratulations to Muslims on the Celebration of Eid

by Ciro Rodriguez

 CONGRATULATIONS TO MUSLIMS ON THE CELEBRATION OF EID

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    HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

 OF TEXAS

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 Thursday, April 23, 1998

Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my constituents and other members of the Muslim community in the United States and throughout the world who this month celebrated the holy day of Eid.

Muslims celebrate two Eids (festivals) every lunar year, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated after fasting for a whole month. During this month a Muslim distributes 2.5 percent of his annual savings in charity to the poor.

Eid-ul-Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice, takes its roots from the Patriarch of our three great faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam-- Abraham. In recognition of the act of sacrifice and obedience with which Abraham was ready to sacrifice his beloved son, for the last 1,400 years Muslims have followed Abraham's tradition by sacrificing a lamb at the end of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

I ask the Congress to join me in congratulating the six million Muslims in the United States and over a billion Muslims across the globe who follow the tradition of Abraham upon this occasion of celebration, sacrifice and charity.

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