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On Thursday, the Kremlin press service reported that President Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to Muslims on Eid al-Adha, which begins on Thursday and continues through the weekend. Putin wrote, “Over the centuries this holiday brought the brightest and most gracious feelings. It brings people closer, affirms the ideals of kindness, compassion, and respect, and reveals the depth of the timeless spiritual values of Islam”. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered the more specific wish for a ceasefire in Syria throughout the holiday period. After meeting with his Swiss counterpart, Didier Burkhalter, Lavrov said, “I very much expect that the attempts to organise a truce that are currently underway will succeed”.
The UN/Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, called Syrian government forces and rebels to agree a truce throughout Eid al-Adha. On Wednesday, the Syrian government said that it agreed the proposal and some members of the armed opposition also responded positively. Speaking about his talks with Burkhalter, Lavrov said, “We’re convinced that there can only be a political solution to the [Syrian] crisis and that the sooner the violence ends and a dialogue without preconditions begins, the more hope all of us will have for exiting the crisis with the least harm done”.
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, comes the day after pilgrims making the Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia descend from Mount Arafat. It commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim‘s readiness to sacrifice his first-born son Ishmael. Nowadays, the holiday celebrates commitment, obedience, and self-sacrifice in the name of Allah. As a symbol of Ibrahim’s sacrifice, all Muslims who can afford it must slaughter a sheep or cow and distribute its meat equally among members of their family, friends, and the poor.
25 October 2012
RIA-Novosti
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121025/176902101.html
Voices from Russia 
Putin Sent Greetings to Muslims on Eid al-Adha
Tags: Didier Burkhalter, diplomacy, Eid al-Adha, Hajj, Holiday, holidays, Holidays and Observances, Islam, Islamic holiday, islamic holy places, Lakhdar Brahimi, Mecca, Mount Arafat, political commentary, politics, Politics of Syria, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Saudi Arabia, Sergei Lavrov, Syria, Syrian Civil War, UN, United Nations, Vladimir Putin
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On Thursday, the Kremlin press service reported that President Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to Muslims on Eid al-Adha, which begins on Thursday and continues through the weekend. Putin wrote, “Over the centuries this holiday brought the brightest and most gracious feelings. It brings people closer, affirms the ideals of kindness, compassion, and respect, and reveals the depth of the timeless spiritual values of Islam”. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered the more specific wish for a ceasefire in Syria throughout the holiday period. After meeting with his Swiss counterpart, Didier Burkhalter, Lavrov said, “I very much expect that the attempts to organise a truce that are currently underway will succeed”.
The UN/Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, called Syrian government forces and rebels to agree a truce throughout Eid al-Adha. On Wednesday, the Syrian government said that it agreed the proposal and some members of the armed opposition also responded positively. Speaking about his talks with Burkhalter, Lavrov said, “We’re convinced that there can only be a political solution to the [Syrian] crisis and that the sooner the violence ends and a dialogue without preconditions begins, the more hope all of us will have for exiting the crisis with the least harm done”.
Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, comes the day after pilgrims making the Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia descend from Mount Arafat. It commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim‘s readiness to sacrifice his first-born son Ishmael. Nowadays, the holiday celebrates commitment, obedience, and self-sacrifice in the name of Allah. As a symbol of Ibrahim’s sacrifice, all Muslims who can afford it must slaughter a sheep or cow and distribute its meat equally among members of their family, friends, and the poor.
25 October 2012
RIA-Novosti
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121025/176902101.html
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