Foreign Secretary William Hague : ""As-Salaam Alaikum""

As Ramadan begins, Foreign Secretary William Hague has recorded a video message. In the video message, he said:

"As-Salaam Alaikum.  As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins I want to send as British Foreign Secretary good wishes to Muslims across the globe.

This is a very important time in the calendar.  It’s a time of fasting, of prayer, of introspection, of the gathering of families and I’m very conscious as a British politician of the huge contribution that so many Muslims in Britain make across the whole breadth of our society and that is something of course that we want to see even more of in the future.

So it’s a very, very important time of year celebrating what Ramadan is about, important values of selflessness, of charity, of compassion, of looking after people less fortunate than ourselves.  And these are values of course that unite Muslims and non Muslims alike.

So at this special time of year I say to you, your friends and your relatives, Ramadan Mubarak."

Risale Haber, 13 August 2010