THE nation will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice tomorrow with offering of animals to endear the pleasure of Allah and praying for the well-being of the Muslims Ummah all over the world. It is celebrated every year on the occasion of annual Hajj in Mecca where several million of devotees gather to register their presence to the witness of Allah. The entire nation is on move from early this week to celebrate the occasion in Bangladesh and people from the capital and all over the country are rushing to their families in towns and villages to celebrate the event together. We congratulate the nation on this occasion and wish the people a happy Eid celebration. It is the second largest festival of the Muslims and the occasion gives family members the opportunity to share time in fraternity and exchange greetings with friends and neighbors away from the busy work schedule of daily life. This year’s Qurbani calls for renewed pledge from the people to be more committed and imbibed with the spirit of sacrifice. Outwardly people slaughter animals but the real spirit of the occasion demands sacrificing greed, lust and animality; which are endangering humanity in every aspect of life. The call for sacrifice therefore means giving away instead of amassing illegal wealth and robbing others as it stands out today. This is what the Eid-ul-Azha reminds us every year since the time of Prophet Ibrahim (SM) who had introduced the ritual to sacrifice animals to yearn the pleasure of Allah replacing his son Ismail as he was initially ordained in a dream to sacrifice his dearest thing on earth. But the reality in our national life appears quite otherwise. There are more corruption and greed now in our socio-political leadership holding the nation hostage to their lust for power and wealth in ever growing cruelty meted out to fellow citizens. In our view Eid celebration would only turn meaningful if the country gets peace and stability and leaders learn to make sacrifice to give what everyone deserves. The occasion would bestow grace on the Muslims all over the world if leaders in some countries stop repression and civil wars forcing people to flee from their homes and take shelter in other countries. The other lesson that we must also learn on this occasion is the need for equitable distribution of wealth and income with the poor instead of forcing them to live in abject poverty. The festival of sacrifice will continue to miss its significance so long the vast majority of the people will continue to live in deprivation. It needs change of social practice and recognizing our institutions. Despite all these shortcomings, we hope the occasion will bestow blessings at every home and rekindle their life with new hope for prosperity in the days to come.
