Editorial
Making a Meaningful Eid for All
THE most important thing about Eid-ul Fitr is the month of Ramadhan that precedes it. For a whole month the Muslims of the world abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. In addition to special prayers, they also observe a life of moderation, simplicity introspection and meditation. The message of this month-long abstinence is to purify our souls and bring us back to the life of moral values. For us in Bangladesh the message of Ramadhan holds special significance. The fundamental moral message here is elimination of poverty and allowing a minimum level of prosperity for all our citizens. Till we are able to do so the real message of Ramadhan and the true spirit of Eid-ul Fitr will remain unfulfilled. What will be the meaning of joy if the majority of the people of our country cannot be a part of it? What sorts of moral values can we claim to represent if so many of us remain illiterate, malnourished, diseased and so very vulnerable to the slightest vagaries of nature?
Time has come to us to be more honest in our self-assessment. Are we really living up to the spirit of this unique month of sacrifice? We think not. The social responsibility that Islam puts on us and the repeated calls for looking after our fellow human beings made by our Prophet seem mostly to go unheeded in a ritualistic observance of fasting followed by the celebration of the Eid. All this must change. We must make a pledge to implement the real values that our religion teaches.
Everything boils down to one single objective in our case - economic and social development. There is no two way about what needs to be done by us. Unless we can develop economically and provide the basic necessities of life for the vast majority of our people then everything else we claim becomes nothing but a bunch of lies for most of our people. Therefore our appeal, on this sacred occasion of the holy Eid, is that we stop ignoring this fundamental truth about ourselves - that we have neglected our vast majority for all these years. Instead of continuing to cheat our people with cheap rhetoric, let us start doing some basic development work so that the lot of our people begins to change. Unless we do that the true spirit of Ramadhan will not be implemented and as such our Eid will be devoid of its true beauty and significance.
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