[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 3 (Monday, January 25, 1999)]
[Page 76]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of Id al-Fitr

January 19, 1999

    Warm greetings to Muslims across America and around the world as you 
mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and celebrate the festival of 
Id al-Fitr.
    The month of fasting that you have just completed demands discipline 
and a spirit of sacrifice. But it also delivers a profound reward: the 
opportunity to show people of every faith what is precious about Islam--
its charity, its generosity, and its essential humanity. All people in 
the world are moved by your observance of Ramadan and by the devotion 
and dignity that make Islam one of the world's great religions.
    As you welcome the appearance of the new moon and the close of 
Ramadan, Hillary joins me in extending best wishes for a memorable 
celebration and for peace, health, and prosperity in the year to come.
                                                  Bill Clinton