EID...yeahhhhh
today is eid and i feel happy. Can't explain why but there is always an excitement whenever eid comes our way. we just came back from saying our eid prayers at Faisal mosque. That is the highest point of the day and why shouldn't it be. We are one with so many muslims and that is an overwhelming feeling, except for that small hitch. Actually it isn't that trivial an issue. It reflects so deep on our attitudes as a society. I had always been aware of it but never really thought about it until it surfaced right in front of me, in my circle so to say. I had always known that here in Pakistan we have seperate mosques for shias, sunnis and then for all other sects in sunni Islam. people dont pray next to each other if they belong to different sects. I remember once, when on our way to Lahore or some place, we stopped at this mosque to say our prayers. Basically abbu and bhai had to say their prayers and they invited these two other guys who had also stopped by to pray in a congregation. But they were reluctant and then in the end everyone said their seperate prayers. Now again recently, I noticed that shia guys from our class didnt say their prayers in congregation at the mosque. One girl with us has just now started saying her prayers with us.
It was then that it dawned on me that all the unity and cohesion that I seem to feel at eid is actually half empty or put it whatever way you might want to put it. A trivial matter such as the way of saying prayers does not allow us to gather together even at eid. And it is such a bigoted approach. It is wrong on the part of those who scorn and also on the part of those who give in to those minority elements. Should the way you say your prayers ever be a matter of concern to people around you. And then we talk of prosperity and competing with the world and building egalitarian societies. "EGALITARIAN"...???
Will there ever be an eid where people say their prayers with arms folded and arms hanging, with arms folded on the chest and arms folded at the navel, with legs open and with legs closed, with arms alofted after each rukn and without arms alofted---right next to each other???
"EGALITARIAN"...truly!!!
posted by shhhnuff duff @ 9:21 PM
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