Royalty in the News

On the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, King Abdullah II of Jordan gave a televised speech to the country. In it, he encouraged his people on the Hashemite Kingdom’s progress and even acknowledged the Palestinians.

Reuters/Youssef Allan

“Brothers and sisters, members of the one Jordanian family,” the King said. “Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you. It is my pleasure, on the eve of the Eid Al Adha, an occasion that is special to all Muslims, to send you all and Arab and Muslim nations greetings and good wishes.”

“I also join you in sending special wishes to our brothers and sisters west of the river, who have not experienced the pleasure of Eid for many decades and continue to suffer the injustice of occupation and absence of justice,” King Abdullah continued. “We greet them on this day and emphasize that we stand by their side and will continue to support them in their quest for their legitimate rights, especially their right to freedom and to establish their independent state on their national soil.”

After making those points, the monarch went on to talk about Jordan’s economic, social and political progress. He said he was fully aware of the daily struggles many Jordanian face each day and carried their burden. “Work continues within a clear work plan to improve conditions and achieve the best for you and our country. I will settle for nothing less than the best for you.”

Overall, it was a short speech. After acknowledging the people’s economic struggles, King Abdullah wished the country a happy Eid.

Eid al-Adha is when Muslims commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as commanded by God. Muslims sacrifice goats, camels, sheep and other animals in remembrance of God giving Abraham an animal in place of his son once he saw Abraham’s obedience.

King Abdullah led Thursday night Eid prayers at the King Hussein mosque with many of his male relatives. His son and heir, Crown Prince Hussein was also in attendance.

Tags: Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah II, religious events, speeches

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 9:57 pm and is filed under Jordan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.