My dear brethren and sisters,

This Thursday, we will leave the holy month of Ramadan behind us and we will be rejoicing in reaching Eid al-Fitr, the Sugar Feast.

In this difficult period, in which everyone is wrestling with the corona virus, we see how, especially during this blessed month of Ramadan, we experience the feelings of solidarity in an intense fashion once again.

During these days, we realize anew the importance of such qualities like helpfulness and tolerance and that hope always wins out over despair. It is my firm conviction that these sentiments all give us strength in these exceptional and trying times through which the whole of humanity is passing.

Unfortunately, we in Europe and elsewhere in the world are confronted more and more with Islamophobia and anti-Muslim movements. The best reaction to this Islamophobia, which poses a threat to all humanity, is, in my opinion, for everyone to join in our belief in friendship and brotherhood and to confirm and explain the philosophy of Islam as a religion of tolerance.

In closing, I wish you all the joy of a blessed Eid al-Fitr and a festive Sugar Feast with all your loved ones around you. On this happy occasion, I express the hope that the good influence of the Sugar feast will be felt in the whole of the country and our nation, the Islamic world and by the whole of humanity.

Happy holidays and I wish you all a blessed Eid al-Fitr and a happy Sugar Feast.