As-Salaamu Alaikum,

Dear friends,

My warmest greetings to all of you,

1. I would like to send congratulations and warm greetings to all Somali people, wherever you are, on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.

2. Eid Al-Adha is the occasion on which it was was revealed: "Today I have completed your religion for you, bestowed my bounty on you and chosen Islam as the only religion for you" S-5 / V-3. It is an important day to be celebrated and enjoyed. It is a day when
 people congratulate each other, forgive each other and love each other.

3. As we all know and that you are all proud of, Somalis are people with the same religion, the same mad-hab (school of fiqh) and of the same practice. Somalis were, in fact, among the first peoples to have adopted Islam. You never had any religious differences among yourselves at all throughout the 1400 years that Islam has existed. Today, however, the whole world is saddened by the unnecessary killings and confrontations that are taking place in the name of Islam. Therefore, on this auspicious occasion in Somalia, we would like to call on Somalis around the world to unite, to cooperate, to be vigilant of the enemy from within that is creating discord among you, to compromise with each other, to forgive each other and listen to each other so that Somalia can regain its former glory and reinvent itself a new dignity.

4. Today, as we celebrate, let us remember the Somali refugees and those displaced internally from their homes and towns, who are scattered everywhere, affected by drought, and exposed to cold and heat, including women, children and the elderly. Let us remember the hundreds of Somali young people who throw themselves into the Red Sea and the Mediterranean fleeing the fighting in their country. Let us remember today on this holy day the hundreds of women and children in jails in different parts of the world because they were seeking a better life. I appeal to you to be mindful of these people, your brothers and sisters, and work toward unity and peace for all so that the refugees can return to their homes and your children may stop dying in the seas. This can only be done by bringing peace and stability back to Somalia.

5. On this Eid day, I am very happy to see the release of the innocent journalists that were held in captivity in Somalia for more than fifteen months. As the verse above mentions, I believe Allah has bestowed his bounty on your country with resources, such as minerals, agriculture, and livestock and resourceful and brilliant people. I hope that you see and take advantage of these God given attributes. They bring more sustainable and honorable revenues than violence or illegitimate activities.

6. Recently and for the first time in a decade, Somali livestock exports to Saudi Arabia have resumed. In fact, during this Eid, thousands of Somali livestock will be available to the pilgrims in the Kingdom. There is no doubt this will better the lives of many families that depend on livestock. It will also boost the economy of the country as a whole and hopefully provide alternative livelihoods for many youth.

7. This week, we are also happy to see the re-establishment of your country’s relationship with the African Development Bank (AfDB). The AfDB in recognition of the Transitional Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen its institutions and the need to assist the government to fully re-establish itself in Mogadishu, provided a grant of $2 million dollars to Somalia.

8. We should hope and pray that with such significant and incremental developments, Somalia will soon have a viable state, Somali people will have a lasting peace and prosperity and that all Somalis will celebrate next year’s Eid in their country with happiness, development, peace and prosperity.

Yours Faithfully,

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah