Mr Hasan Tarik Sen, Chairperson Horizon Educational Trust
Mr Zafer Soyertas, Regional Director Horizon Educational Trust
Your Worship Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan municipality
Members of Parliament and the Provincial Legislature
Members of the mayoral committee here present.
Councillors here present
Religious leaders here present
Ladies and gentlemen
Comrades and friends
Goeie naand!
Good evening!
Molweni!
Sawubona!
Thobela!
Avuxeni!
Ndi masiari!
yi ak?amlar!
Shalom!
Salam Aleikum
I greet you during the holy month of Ramadan.
I would like to express my profound appreciation to the Turquoise Harmony Institute for the invitation to this Iftaar dinner. My appreciation is amplified by the fact that, although I am not a Muslim, I have tried for the past 15 years to observe the fast during the month of Ramadan.
This dinner is therefore indeed a fast breaking dinner for me and I thank you very much for allowing me to share it with you. In wishing South African Muslim community well during the fast in the month of Ramadan, President Jacob Zuma remarked that, “This period of fasting is regarded as a time of deep introspection, a strengthening of the bonds of the family and community, increased generosity, all of which is brought on by heightened spirituality in order to transform the individual into a better human being.
In a time of economic difficulty, when we are challenged to alleviate the plight of the poor, our nation is indeed privileged to have within it a community who through the act of fasting dedicates itself to the poor, the hungry and the homeless. This is a lesson and an example for South Africans of all faiths.
In this regard I would like to commend the work done by the Turquoise Harmony Institute since its foundation in 2006 as the Interfaith Foundation of South Africa (IFSA) in fostering relations among different faith and cultural traditions to contribute to the well being of humanity inspired by the work and thoughs of Fethullah Gulen.
We agree with the Turquoise Harmony Institute when you when you say that, it is of great importance that everybody should be allowed to be themselves and be accepted as he/she is and that, it must be noted that our diversity and differences are our richness and strength. Unity in diversity will give us the power to overcome the challenges of our time.
These sentiments recall the profound beauty and wisdom of the following passage in the Holy Quran, “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).” [Quran 49:13] It also recalls the beautiful words Christ in the Gospel according to St. John: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another" [John 13:34]
It finds beautifully succient expression in the seminal expression of the philosophy of Ubuntu that, “Motho ke motho ka batho babang” a person is a person through other people.
The values underling these sentiments are reflected in the founding provisions of our Constitution where it proclaims that the Republic of South Africa is one, sovereign, democratic state founded on, amongst others, the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms; non-racialism and non-sexism and supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.
We commend the Turquoise Harmony Institute for the work that it has done to promote education in disadvantaged and poor communities especially in science, mathematics and computer studies and the contribution that this makes to fighting poverty, crime and ignorance.
We also commend the Institute for the partnerships that it has former with, amongst others, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Council to assist in alleviating poverty in through the distribution of food and blankets. We thank the Turkish business people who have donated generously to this cause.
I would like to conclude by quoting the Sufi saying that, “Past the suffering walked he who asks, “Why, oh God, do you not do something for these people?” To which God replied, “I did do something, I made you.” The challenge for all of us is to do more to create a better life for all our fellow human beings by working together.
Working together we can do more.
Baie dankie
Thank you
Ngiyabonga
Ke a leboga
Inkomu
Ndi a livhuwa
Shukran
Tesekkür ederi
Issued by: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
6 September 2009
Source: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
(http://www.justice.gov.za/)
