Muslims in the country on Monday celebrated the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with a call for co-existence and unity regardless of religious, political and tribal backgrounds for the country to achieve meaningful development.

Muslim Association of Malawi Halaal Department national coordinator Sheikh Abdul Majid Chibwe made the appeal in an interview on Monday on the sidelines of prayers marking the end of Ramadan celebrated as Eid-Ul-Fitr at Kamuzu Stadium upper ground in Blantyre.

Muslim Association of Malawi chairperson Sheikh Idrissa Muhammad (2R) interacts with a colleague on Monday

He said it is of no importance for Malawians to be discriminating each other as unity and co-existence are the key pillars for the country to make progress.

Chibwe said: “Our message is that there should be unity, not only among Muslims, but all Malawians because we live in a society where we have different denominations.

“We need each other to live peacefully and also effectively contribute to the meaningful development of our country which we need to love.”

He said that if Malawians are united and co-exist, they will be able to support each other which is an important aspect that religion promotes.

In a separate interview, one of the Muslims who attended the event, Khadija Wabu also said it is important that Malawians should co-exist regardless of different religious backgrounds.

“We need to live together as one because we are living in a world where we shall always have differences in religious backgrounds. So, what is important is to respect each other and learn how best we can co-exist,” she said.

Another congregant Latif Mbekeani, who attended Eid prayers at Country Club Limbe, said unity remains key for Malawians to achieve greater things.

He said: “When we remain united, we will be able to achieve more in life. We cannot achieve anything if we keep apart and this is important for each and every Malawian. This must be well understood.”

Prayers marking Eid-Ul-Fitr were held simultaneously across the country in all the districts in the morning hours on Monday.

Muslims started observing Ramadan on April 1 2022 until the sighting of the moon on May 1 2022.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast, pray and reflect on their faith. It is believed that around 610AD, Prophet Muhammad was chosen by God to act as a messenger to humankind, spreading God’s teachings, thus, Ramadan is a commemoration of the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad.

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