[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 1 (Monday, January 5, 1998)]
[Page 3]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of Ramadan

December 30, 1997

    Warm greetings to everyone observing the holy month of Ramadan.
    For millions of Muslims across our nation and around the world, 
Ramadan marks the time when God revealed the Holy Quran to the Prophet 
Muhammad. During this sacred month, the ninth in the Islamic lunar 
calendar, devout Muslims concentrate on their faith, study the Quran, 
and discipline themselves through fasting between dawn and dusk. They 
seek to answer Islam's call to a life of piety, justice, and peace and 
to draw closer to God and to one another through many hours spent in 
prayer and contemplation.
    Ramadan is a powerful reminder to all of us that the true riches of 
life are found, not in material goods, but rather in the gifts of the 
spirit: the ever-present guidance and bountiful mercy of God, the love 
of family and friends, and the freedom to worship according to one's own 
conscience and convictions.
    As the crescent moon once again heralds the coming of this season of 
faith and spiritual renewal, Hillary and I extend best wishes for a 
memorable observance.
                                                  Bill Clinton

Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
December 31.