It’s a festive time for Muslims around the world as they bid farewell to the holy month of Ramadhan and start celebrating Eid al Fitr. The atmosphere is filled with joy, gratitude, and the spirit of sharing.
Also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al Fitr is an occasion to reflect on the blessings the faithful received during Ramadhan. It is also the time for them to reaffirm their faith and commitment to Islam.
In addition to its religious significance, Eid also represents unity and brotherhood and sends strong messages against violence and communal discord. It is all about compassion, empathy, and benevolence.
Notwithstanding the fact that Eid is a reminder of love prevailing over hatred, this year the festival is a sombre affair in some parts of the world, especially in Gaza, where Palestinians are in a crippling crisis due to the Israeli war on them. They will be greeting Eid with hunger, bombs, and bullets!
With over 33,000 Palestinians, including children, killed and nearly 75,900 injured amid mass destruction of homes and shortages of necessities, the devastation in the Palestinian enclave has taken a massive toll.
News agencies report that over 200 aid workers, including medics, have died. What is more pathetic is that parents were killed while trying to reach aid trucks to feed their children. Scores of children have died from malnutrition and dehydration.
These all happened despite the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire and the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and measures to prevent genocide. The bloodshed in the Gaza Strip has cast a shadow over the Eid celebrations.
A report released by Forensic Architecture revealed that the Israeli military has repeatedly abused the humanitarian measures of evacuation orders and failed to comply with the laws governing their application within a wartime context.
There is no excuse for this man-made disaster, as Israel continues to prevent sufficient humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Sadly, even as the bombs fall unabated and the cries of children resonate through the shattered streets of Gaza, several world leaders are keeping a deafening silence.
They are either complicit or fear the risk of being complicit in the suffering by not taking concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. Inaction, silence, and moral failure will have repercussions.
The absence of action from those who could effect change is disheartening! The world is sending a very troubling message to future generations!
What Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Chris Hedges wrote in his letter to the children of Gaza is a reminder to the world: “We have failed you. This is the awful guilt we carry.”
Amidst all these gloomy and painful moments, we pray and wish that children in Gaza hold onto hope and come out of this doomsday scenario.
So let’s be optimistic as Chris wrote to the children, “I hope one day we will meet. You will be an adult. I will be an old man, although to you I am already very old. In my dream for you, I will find you free, safe, and happy.”
This Eid, when we celebrate it, let’s remember these children and pray for their well-being and lasting peace in their homeland.
I wish all Observer readers a wonderful Eid al Fitr day filled with blessings, happiness, and good fortune!
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