Georgian leaders send warm wishes to Muslims on Eid-al-Fitr
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President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze have sent kind wishes to the Muslim community of Georgia on Eid-al-Fitr.
Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze hosted members of the Georgian Muslim community at an Iftar supper last night – an evening meal with which Muslims end their daily fast during Ramadan at sunset.
PM Bakhtadze wished them well-being and peace.
Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze at supper. Photo: State Agency for Religious Issues.
Other Georgian officials, muftis and ambassadors of Muslim countries to Georgia also attended the supper.
Head of the State Agency for Religious Issues Zaza Vashakmadze said the supper has already become traditional and it stresses how important the Muslim community is in Georgia.
As Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said in her twitter post,’Georgia remains one of the few places in the world where Shiites and Sunnites pray together.’
Zaza Vashakmadze highlighted that the Muslim community still faces challenges and the agency has been working to resolve these issues.
Ramadan is an annual holiday and is regarded as one of the five Pillars of Islam. The fasting period lasts between 29 to 30 days, based on visual sightings of the crescent moon.
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili congratulating Muslims on the feast. Photo: Oktai Isaevi Koka/facebook.
Muslims, and people living in Muslim countries, fast from dawn until sunset. Muslims are forbidden to consume food and water while the sun is up and can only eat before sunrise and after sunset.
Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes increased offering of prayers and recitation of the Quran. The spiritual discipline is meant to train the human soul in deeper mindfulness and self-restraint.