Editorial,

Praise be to Allah who has guided us through this holy month of Ramadan. Who has favoured the month of Ramadan over all other months and made it a great opportunity to attain rewards by committing good deeds. Believers have been competing in doing acts of obedience and spending in the cause of Allah during this holy month;   righteous deeds have been doubled, mistakes remitted, ranks of men are raised and supplications are answered by Allah. It is indeed a month of benevolence and blessings.

The month of Ramadan is a glorious and purified month; if we are opportuned to witness one, we are expected to make the best use of it and continue praying to God to  shower His mercy, guidance and blessings onto humanity and our country in particular. However, as the holy month of Ramadan draws to an end, we wish Muslims of the country and the Islamic Ummah in general a blessed Idul Fitr ortherwise locally called koriteh.

As we prepare ourselves to enjoy the joy and pride that accompany the koriteh feast, we also want to remind people that this should not be the end of good conduct. The services to the Lord and humanity at large calls for continued devotion to the conduct of good practice. We should therefore strive to maintain the manner in which we conduct our affairs during the course of this holy month beyond the month. The fact that Ramadan is over should not mean time  to venture into dubious social activities. In fact, we should always be reminded that the service to the Lord requires that we conform to the principles of honesty, hand work and discipline at all times.

A lot of unruly behaviours have stopped during this holy month due to the significance of the month and the fear of God. This is indeed a good practice that should continue. The sign of the acceptance of a good deed by Allah is that you follow it with another good deed, and the sign of rejecting good deeds by Allah is that you follow it by committing sins.

Moreover, as we prepare for the excitements and merry-makings that accompany the Fitr feast, we should allow our minds reflect on the miserable conditions of some of our fellows in other parts of the world; those who are gathering in the shadow of tanks and cannons. We should never forget about those noble men, women, and children whose 'Eid' prayer could be interrupted at any moment by a shower of tear gas or bullets. Our Mercy to them lies in our transcending the often time petty and trivial differences and issues that divide us, in order to become a unified, viable, and positive Islamic Ummah.

On the 'Eid' day, let us enjoy the blessings of ample and variegated food but never to forget those Muslims who literally know no Iftar. For many Muslims, daily existence is a continuous fast. We should constantly be thinking of meaningful ways to improve their lot. We should also be asking ourselves, have we adequately expressed our thanks to Allah for the many blessings He has heaped upon us? The end of Ramadan does not mean the end of good conduct. May we be blessed to attain the 'Eid' day  safety and secure.