Muslims urged to pray, fast for peace in Gaza

CEBU CITY – A Cebu-based Islamic scholar has urged Cebuano Muslims to offer special prayers and fast for peace in Gaza as the holy month of Ramadan begins.

Ustadz Muhammad Najeeb Razul, also an Imam, said 57 congregations would offer congregational prayers every Friday in different Masjids in Cebu province until the end of Ramadan or the beginning of the celebration of the Eid'l Fitr.

Islamic calendar follows a lunar cycle that could differ from place to place based on moon sightings or lack thereof, despite calculation in expected dates for the Ramadan.

“It’s a prayer for peace and at the same time, it's a prayer calling for the believers to unite because of the societal problem all over the world,” Razul told the Philippine News Agency.

Razul urged the Cebuanos, Muslims and non-Muslims, “to remember in our prayers the women and children affected by the ongoing fighting in Gaza.” He also encouraged the public to pray for sobriety as tension continued to grip the West Philippine Sea and “so that justice and peace will reign."

The mosques in Mambaling at the Islamic Center near the University of the Philippines-Cebu, Sanciangko, Tagonol would also offer communal prayers, apart from the three masjids in Bogo City.

Razul said he would also deliver special sermons in his house of prayer in Minglanilla, which could be accessed through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms. (John Rey Saavedra)