Eid Greetings from David Bonior, Member of Congress

Dear Friend:

As we approach the end of Ramadan, I want to extend my heartfelt greetings to you and your family. Ramadan is a time for reflection. It is a time for fasting and for cherishing our blessings. It is a time to remember lost loved ones and those less fortunate. Ramadan reminds us of what is truly important - our family, our traditions, our deepest values and our faith. 

We all share grief and sorrow over the attacks of September 11. Such attacks do not represent Islam. By the same token, the bigotry and intolerance against Muslims which has followed does not represent the ideals on which this great country was founded.

Throughout my career, I have tried to show that bigotry and intolerance have no place in America's future. I led the effort to repeal secret evidence and spoke out against profiling at U.S. airports, in shopping malls and on highways. After the September 11 attacks, I introduced the resolution condemning bigotry against Muslims, Arab-Americans and Americans of South Asian descent. I have also continued to reach out to the Muslim community.

Whenever I attend religious services reflecting the rich diversity of religious traditions in Michigan, I speak about the need for tolerance and understanding. This is a time for Americans of all faiths to pull together. The magnitude of this moment calls upon us to focus on what unites - not what divides us. 

As a Catholic, I will be heeding Pope John Paul II's call to fast on December 14 as a sign of unity with the Islamic faith and a gesture of tolerance and peace. The great religions of the world need to draw closer together at this time of crisis, not further apart.

Again, I want to wish you and your family a happy Eid and best wishes for the new year.

Sincerely,

David E. Bonior
Member of Congress