Updated 5 August 2013 

Bismihi’Ta’ala,

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam
Salaamun Alaikum

On behalf of The Council of European Jamaats, I join all of you around the world in celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr and fondly bidding farewell to the blessed month of Ramadhan.

The Holy month of Ramadhan is seen as the most spiritual month in the Islamic year. As Muslims, we observe the month with great respect and are blessed with the opportunity to slow down from our regular routines and to reflect on our connection with ourselves and with Allah (SWT). This, in turn, allows our true essence to shine even brighter.  By the day of Eid Ul Fitr, our souls rejoice in celebrating the victories we have gained by submitting our will in order to gain the greater benefits of closer proximity to Allah (SWT) and to ourselves.

The last month has proven to be quite an eventful one. Activities and events happening globally and locally within our own communities reflect our desire to create and enhance harmony from within.

I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the Ramadhan Relief Fund this year. Once again, it becomes clear how blessed we are to have the means to encourage the economic upliftment of our fellow brothers and sisters who are in need of assistance in order to sustain themselves. It has been heartening to read the reports depicting how these generous donations have been utilised in helping so many families during the month of Ramadhan.

Furthermore, it is becoming clear to us at CoEJ that we need to focus on the economic upliftment of people within Europe. Even though we may feel that there are structures in place to help those in poverty, this is not an accurate picture of reality. CoEJ is currently working with Al-Mizan Trust in North-West London with their food bank and kitchen project called Sufra.  This is a simple concept of bringing food items to the food bank which are then distributed to families and individuals in order to assist them in fulfilling their daily food requirements. As a result of dedicated teamwork, we were able to collect 740kg of donated food for poor families in the month of Ramadhan.

I wish to show my appreciation to all those who arranged for a Big Iftar event in their communities. This was an initiative taken by many mosques and Islamic centres throughout the United Kingdom and it endeavoured to encourage unity and harmony amongst the local communities by inviting them to an iftar. We are truly following the example of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) and his Ahlul Bayt when we continue such traditions.

On a more sombre note, as many of you are aware, on Friday 19 July 2013, several mortar shells were fired in the vicinity of the Shrine of Sayyidah Zaynab (as) in Syria, damaging the shrine.  It has been reported that one person was killed and others were wounded in the attack. The Council of European Jamaats strongly denounces these attacks and the continuous loss of lives as a result of such violence. We fully support the work being done to protect and preserve our heritage and shrines in places where there is great change and tumult. I request you to continue to pray for peace within these regions.

Finally, I wish you and your family a joyous, peaceful and most fulfilling Eid and request you to join me in prayer for unity, peace and justice to prevail and for the hastened reappearance of our awaited saviour Al Mahdi (A.S.).

Dr Husein Jiwa
President - The Council of European Jamaats

Ramadhan 1434