Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed congratulations on the occasion of the advent of the holy month of Ramadan to all Muslims. On this occasion, he said, "I express my sincere good wishes and blessings to all Muslims on earth, praying Almighty Allah to accept their fasting, prayers and good deeds. The advent of this holy month is a crucial occasion to emphasize the lofty values of Islam and its human principles and underscore the meanings of solidarity among Muslims. It is unfortunate that the month of tolerance and forgiveness come at a time when parts of our Muslim world are experiencing wars, troubles and human crises. "Proceeding from our duty to put forth efforts which would help us unite the Islamic Ummah; in compliance with Allah's order as it came in the Quran: “And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah stretches out for you and be not divided among yourselves”; and recalling our obligation to protect the lives of Muslims and to abstain from committing acts prohibited by our religion and against which Allah warns us when He said that he whoever slays a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - is as if he slew the whole people, we have to feel our obligations towards the preservation of the Islamic world of which we are part. And since the holy month of Ramadan in which the Quran was sent down has bestowed its blessings and fortune on us, we must preserve the sanctity of this month which requires us to preserve Muslim's lives. "The Islamic Ummah receives the holy month praying Allah the Almighty to bring peace to our countries, I would like to call on all warring sides in the Islamic world to respect the sanctity of this blessed month and put an end to all forms of enmity and blood-shedding. I pray to Allah that this moral commitment will pave the way for a peaceful solution to the crises of all Islamic peoples. "I also reiterate my call to all to assist and support our fellow brothers in Somalia who are experiencing an unprecedented famine and to make prompt and generous donations taking inspiration from this month of giving and munificence which calls us to take a serious position in front of Somalia's crisis which is turning into a humanitarian disaster."
