SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Eid al-Fitr

Honourable senators, I’m honoured to rise today on behalf of my fellow Muslim senators — Senators Salma Ataullahjan, Amina Gerba, Farah Mohamed, Hassan Yussuff and Mohammad Al Zaibak — to mark the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of breaking the fast.”

Last Friday, Muslim families across Canada and the world gathered in unity after the sacred month of Ramadan, a time of quiet fasting from dawn to dusk, deepened prayer, reflection and, above all, reminding us all of the shared responsibility to care for the most vulnerable among us.

Eid al-Fitr is a spiritual moment of release and renewal: special prayers in mosques and community halls, embraces with loved ones, sharing sweets and meals, clothing children in new finery and ensuring, through Zakat al-Fitr, that the most vulnerable share in the joy.

These acts remind us that true celebration flows from generosity, from seeing the face of humanity in every neighbour, every stranger and extending a hand without hesitation.

In Canada, Muslim communities — now nearly 2 million strong — live these values daily. They are our compassionate caregivers in hospitals, our dedicated teachers nurturing young minds, our entrepreneurs building opportunity, our volunteers quietly lifting up others and our families weaving threads of kindness into the national tapestry.

Yet, we know that in the globe today, there are heavy burdens: divisions that wound, conflicts that grieve the soul, rising hate that scars hearts and hardships that test resilience. In these times, Eid al-Fitr whispers a softer truth: that compassion can heal, that unity born of shared humanity can mend and that small acts of benevolence light the darkest paths.

To every Muslim Canadian who has fasted with patience, given with open hands and prayed for peace, whether in bustling cities, quiet rural towns or right here in our capital city, may this Eid wrap you in comfort, fill your homes with laughter and warmth, ease any sorrow and renew your hope.

May the spirit of compassion, gratitude and gentle solidarity that defines this day guide us all — senators and citizens alike — toward a Canada and a world where no one is left behind, where empathy bridges every divide and where peace prevails.

Eid Mubarak.

Thank you. Shukran. Meegwetch.