Today marks the beginning of Eid Al-Fitr festivities in Saudi Arabia and many parts of the Muslim world. The month of fasting ended yesterday. Everywhere there was bustle of last-minute shopping on Friday night. Muslims across the world observed Ramadan with utmost care and tried to follow the teachings of Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) as best as they could. They also ensured that they prayed more and spent a lot more on poor during the month of Ramadan. Unusually high reward awaits people who spend on poor during the holy month. So Muslims try their best to spend as much as possible on the poor people of society. Their generosity is not limited to zakat, the obligatory 2.5 percent that every well-to-do Muslim has to give as charity. Eid does not mean that we should forget everything we did and learned during a month of intense training. No, the process of self-purification and development at individual and collective levels never stops. Our celebrations will lack luster and meaning if we forget the essence of Ramadan. Eid Al-Fitr or the “Festival of fast breaking" extending three days is the most celebratory of all Muslim festivals. It is synonymous with joy and thanksgiving. But we should remember that there are large numbers of people who are not able to share the joy of Eid for various reasons. There are people who are extremely poor. There are those who live under an oppressive occupation as in Palestine. Afghans live in a war zone. People in Iraq still suffer from the devastating effects of a US-led invasion.There are people who, like Rohingyas, suffer persecution just because they are in a minority. There are countless number of people who had to flee their country to escape oppression and persecution. Finally, there are Syrians who are engaged in a life-and-death struggle to win back their freedom and dignity. All are victims of tyranny in one form or the other. Unfortunately, the international community is apathetic toward their suffering, as the imam of the Grand Mosque pointed out while addressing the millions who converged on Makkah to offer congregational prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan. In his sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais drew attention to the people who are suffering the worst kind of oppression and suppression in many parts of the world, including Syria, Palestine and Myanmar. Tyrants, he said, are committing the most heinous crimes against humanity by killing children, women and old people indiscriminately. “Regrettably, these vicious crimes are taking place with the knowledge of the international community which turns a blind eye to the massacres and genocides that have no parallels in history," Sheikh Sudais said. It was this dismal state of affairs which prompted the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to host an extraordinary Islamic summit in the holy city last week. The unprecedentedly large attendance at the summit showed that Muslim leaders are aware of the gravity of the situation. They were also responding to the call of the Qur'an, which says: “And hold fast all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves." (2:103). Eid should be an occasion to spread the message of unity too. We wish all our readers a happy Eid Al-Fitr.
