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.”