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THE WHITE HOUSE

                      Office of the Press Secretary
                      (Hilton Head, South Carolina)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                  December 31, 1997

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.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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