The message of sacrifice

The festival is being celebrated at a time when the nation and the Muslim world are facing problems on several fronts. And what is missing among our politicians is the spirit of accommodation and tolerance to an extent that it has now become a matter of sacrifice for them to be demonstrated through some special efforts on their part. Partisan interests need to be subordinated to the common stake we all have in collective national wellbeing. The sacrifice that Prophet Ibrahim (SM) was asked to make was too great for any ordinary mortal to even think of, but surely, we can make smaller sacrifices to improve the life around us.

Islam was perhaps never a more misunderstood religion in the past than it is now due to the profiling of the religion and also because of a handful of zealots' hijacking the essence of our religion. We in Bangladesh are also experiencing the malady called terrorism. It is time the nation rose in protest and put an end to all sorts of violent activities in the name of religion.

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A word about festival time do's and don'ts. The DCC performed well in the last few years by launching a special drive to clear the entrails of the sacrificed animals from the roads. Hopefully, it will repeat the feat with more efficiency this time around. The city fathers should also think of designating certain places for animal sacrifice like abattoirs, instead of allowing roads and open spaces to be used indiscriminately. This is an issue that can no longer be kept on the back-burner.

Eid Mubarak to all our readers, patrons and well-wishers.