With the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, Mr Hon Mamondiong, the new secretary of the National Commission for Muslim Affairs of the Philippines, invited diplomats based in Manila to hold an Iftar dinner on Wednesday, 13 Aril, 2022 at the Manila Hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

The banquet was attended by a significant number of Ambassadors and cultural officials of Embassies, including Iran’s Ambassador Alireza Tootunchian and Cultural Counsellor Morteza Sabouri.

The Secretary of the National Commission for Muslims, in a speech emphasizing the holy month of Ramadan, said that Islam is a religion of peace and friendship, and that the holy month of Ramadan is a month of worship and attention to God, as well as respect for one's fellow human beings. He added: "Unfortunately, the world is not in a good situation and the shadow of war and violence on the world worries everyone, and everyone needs to help end the crisis in Ukraine and the current war immediately, because this war has no other result than killing, injuring and displacing people." Countries that want peace and brotherhood in the world must work to end this crisis quickly and bring peace to the world.

Following the ceremony, an art group from the Mindanao area performed some traditional plays.

 

 

     

 

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Iran’s Ambassador and also Iran’s cultural Counsellor met with the new secretary of the National Commission of the Philippines to congratulate him on his appointment and emphasize the readiness of the cultural counsellor to expand cooperation with the National Muslim Commission. Hon Mamondiong also thanked the cultural counsellor and expressed hope that this cooperation would expand in various fields.

In a conversation with the new Vatican Ambassador in Manila, Iran’s cultural counsellor also referred to the religious dialogue programs in the Philippines and welcomed his cooperation and presence in the mentioned programs. The Ambassador also stressed the importance of such programs and expressed his desire to participate in them.