I extend to Muslims in Australia, and throughout the world, best wishes for the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week.
Ramadan is a time for reflection, spiritual devotion and renewal. Muslim families around the world come together this month to celebrate their faith and their communities. By fasting, and through acts of charity, Muslims also remember those less fortunate than themselves.
In Australia, this month is an opportunity for us to honour the important contribution our Muslim brothers and sisters make to our nation. Muslim Australians have helped build a more diverse, more productive and more prosperous country for us all.
Australia’s Muslim citizens belong to over 60 ethnic groups, linking Australia to some 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. These links underpin our trade, and our friendly relations, with Islamic nations.
As Australian Muslims celebrate Ramadan, many will be thinking of relatives suffering displacement, unrest and conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere. My thoughts are with them, and I share their hopes for peace.
Ramadan offers a message of tolerance, compassion and hope - a universal message that everyone can share. Ramadan Mubarak.
Source: http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2014/jb_mr_140627a.aspx?ministerid=4
