Aranguez/St Joseph And Barataria/San Juan MPs Host Landmark Joint Eid Celebration
Two Members of Parliament set aside constituency lines on Sunday, coming together to host a landmark joint Eid-ul-Fitr celebration at the Aranguez Sports Club Ground.
MP for Aranguez/St Joseph, Devesh Maharaj, and MP for Barataria/San Juan, Saddam Hosein, welcomed hundreds of residents to what Minister Maharaj described as a natural coming together of neighbouring communities.
MP Maharaj welcomed the crowd to what he called familiar ground, the same site that had drawn worshippers just days earlier.
« Saturday morning literally hundreds of people were gathered here praying in unison, with love, unity and togetherness. »
MP Maharaj credited his colleague, Barataria/San Juan MP, Saddam Hosein, with proposing the collaborative initiative, explaining that the idea stemmed from a simple office conversation.
« He said, ‘Dev, we have to do something for both our constituencies to celebrate Eid.’ I said, ‘Brother, what is it you have in mind?’ He said, this. »
MP Saddam Hosein spoke of the deeper meaning behind the celebration, drawing from the teachings of the Holy Quran.
« Allah told all of us in the Quran, He said, O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that ye may attain taqwa, or self-consciousness. »
The MP for Barataria/San Juan also paid tribute to his cross-faith colleague, praising MP Maharaj’s inclusivity.
« My brother Devesh, being someone not from the Islamic faith, has always shown extreme togetherness, inclusivity, and tolerance as a Member of Parliament. »
MP Maharaj shared his hopes for the nation, inspired by the spirit of the celebration.
« What impressed me was the unity, the love, the togetherness, and the commitment to faith. That is important to me and I think if we take those values out to the larger community, we can really do a lot of change, transformational change that is needed in Trinidad and Tobago. »
