President al-Assad performs Eid al-Fitr Prayer at Anas Bin Malek Mosque in Damascus

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President Bashar al-Assad performed Thursday the Prayer of Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Breaking the Fast) at Anas Bin Malek Mosque in Damascus with the participation of senior officials in the state and the Baath Arab Socialist Party (BASP), a number of the People's Assembly members, Syria's Grand Mufti, several Islamic scholars and a crowd of citizens.

Upon his arrival at the Mosque, President al-Assad was received by Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments), the Mufti, the BASP Assistant Regional Secretary, the People's Assembly Speaker and the Prime Minister. Following the prayers which were led by Imam Ahmad al-Jazaeri, the President listened to the Eid sermon with sheikh al-Jazaeri, stressing the sublime meanings of Eid al-Fitr and the importance of love, fraternity and unity among the homeland's people. "Islam unifies the Ummah (the Islamic nation) rather than dividing it, strengthens it rather than weakening it," said Sheikh al-Jazaeri, affirming that the Islamic religion fights bigotry and denounces takfiri thinking and violence. He asked God to dispel the crisis facing Syria so as for security and safety to be restored to it and for smile to be redrawn on the children's faces on al-Eid. Sheikh al-Jazaeri underscored that Bilad al-Sham has always been the country of knowledge, faith and purity, stressing that the reform of the homeland and the Islamic nation lies in the correct understanding of Quran which shows clearly that Islam is a religion of tolerance and mercy and not of killing and violence. Al-Jazaeri concluding his sermon by asking God to stand by President al-Assad for the welfare of the homeland and the citizens and to have mercy upon Syria and its people.

Meanwhile, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi denied reports suggesting that Assad’s motorcade had come under attack while he was on his way to the mosque. “These reports are totally false. The president was driving his car himself, he attended the prayer and greeted people… everything is normal,” the minister stated. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Clashes between foreign-backed Takfiri militants and the Syrian army continue on a daily basis.