WASHINGTON: Days after his address to leaders from 50 plus Muslim nations in Riyadh, US President Donald Trump used his maiden Ramazan message on Friday to emphasise the international community’s shared obligation to reject violence and pursue peace.

“At its core, the spirit of Ramazan strengthens awareness of our shared obligation to reject violence, to pursue peace, and to give to those in need who are suffering from poverty or conflict,” Mr Trump said in a statement issued by his office in Washington.

In his speech at a Muslim and Arab summit in Riyadh earlier this week, the US leader invited the Muslim world to a renaissance and also reminded them of the “collective heritage” of three Abrahamic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. “If these three faiths can join together in cooperation, then peace in this world is possible,” he said. On Friday, he wished “a joyful Ramazan” to Muslim across the globe and acknowledged in fasting from dawn to dusk, many Muslims “will find meaning and inspiration in acts of charity and meditation that strengthen our communities.”

Mr Trump noted that this Ramazan begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, “acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramazan”

He warned those who carry out such attacks that their acts brutality “only steel our resolve to defeat the terrorists and their perverted ideology.” He recalled that during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, he met the leaders of more than 50 Muslim nations.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017