"This is the first week of Ramadan and I am delighted to be able to send my very good wishes to the two million Muslims in Britain who will be celebrating this important festival and of course to Muslims around the world as well. Ramadan is a month of contemplation, prayer and spirituality. A chance for Muslims to look at their own lives and judge them against the high standards that they set for themselves.
'But Ramadan is also a chance to look outwards as well as inwards. To look at compassion, charity, responsibility. Not just within the Muslim community but across all of our communities. I think this is a big opportunity for those of us who are not Muslim to learn, to understand and to engage with Muslim citizens who live close to us and ensure that we are working together to bridge the divides of race and religion that too often pull people apart. In that sense I am honoured today to be able to say Ramadan Mubarak."
