The blessed month of Ramadan has come to an end but this year’s Eid-ul-Fitar will not be a joyous celebration for many Muslims across the world. The ongoing bombardments of Israel on Gaza, hundreds and thousands of homeless internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan, the rise of the radical Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have diminished the charm of celebrating and enjoying Eid.
The Muslims of Gaza observed fasting amidst the bombs, blood and deaths. The continuous bloodshed pushed the total Palestinian toll to over 1060 with some 5,700 wounded since the Israeli military launched Operation Protective Edge on 8 July in a bid to stamp out rocket fire from Gaza. The Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, based in Geneva, has issued a statement based on the number of bombing raids by the Israeli military, saying that the bombs have been hitting Gaza at, on average, one every three minutes. United Nations has reported that 70% causalities are of civilians including children. According to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) a total of 121 Gaza children have lost their lives, which make up one-third of the total civilian casualties. UN officials have recently revealed that more than 100,000 people have been forced to take shelter in UN buildings in Gaza because of the violence – double the number of the Gaza conflict five years ago. UN council for Human Rights is in a process to form commission of inquiry over alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. The Palestinians are celebrating this Eid as Eid of Martyrs’.
There is a new upsurge of IDPs in Pakistan. The record of the Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reveals the registration of 53,819 displaced families comprising 698,435 individuals. The actual number of IDPs is feared to be much more as all the IDPs have not yet been able to register with the NDMA. The Afghan government claims to provide shelter to over 100,000 IDPs on humanitarian grounds. These IDPs are said to migrate from Pakistan to Afghanistan during the months of June and July this year.
While, the Government of Pakistan is busy dealing with a mass migration of country’s population from one locality to another, most of IDPs are often deprived of their basic inhabitant and human rights. They are flabbergasted with the sentiment of being estranged from rest of the society. Over 5000 tons food is needed for the current IDP families. The government of Pakistan had initially announced a cash support of Rs 12,000 equivalent to $121 per month for purchasing monthly food ration and non-food items for each displaced family. Later, government of Pakistan reconsidered its decision and increased the cash support to Rs20, 000, equivalent $202 per month. A one off payment of Rs 20,000 is also being made to IDPs as Ramadan package. In a country where majority population lives below the poverty line and where the inflation rate is very high such a relief is merely nothing but peanuts. The IDPs are reported to break their fast with water as they did not have anything to eat. This year’s Eid may see IDPs, queuing up in the scorching heat, to obtain food and other items and lining up in long lines at water points.
Many of the residents of conflict zones have also been unable to flee due to the threats from militants who have planted landmines and are intent on using civilians as human shields. Those trapped by the fighting face disrupted electricity, closed hospitals, schools, banks and shops and severe shortages of food, medicine and water. Without well-managed government efforts to provide safety and security to these forgotten residents, the civilian costs of the war will continue to rise rapidly, not just from direct fire, but also through illness and food shortages.
The rise of the new maniac of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is leading to a Sunni-Shia sectarian war across the entire Muslim world. ISIS maniac has already killed thousands of Muslims. Throughout the month of Ramadan the Captured fighters – and non-combatants – were shot or decapitated by ISIS, their deaths recorded in grisly videos which inspire fear and revulsion among opponents. Just few days before the Eid, the radical ISIS has destroyed shrines belonging to two prophets, Prophet Shiyt (Sheth) A.S and Prophet Younas (Jonah) A.S. Both the Prophets are highly regarded in both Islam and Christianity. In the glorious Quran and the Bible, Prophet Younus (Jonah) A.S is famous for being swallowed by a fish. His holy shrine dating back to the 8th century BC has been leveled to ground. The tomb of Prophet Danial has also been demolished. The ISIS is now planning to capture Karbala and Najaf and destroy the holy shrines related to family of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and the martyrs of Karbala. Iran has vowed that Shia holy shrines in Iraq will be defended at almost any cost – particularly in Karbala and Najaf, where ISIS leaders have claimed they will attempt to capture the holy sites. Millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims travel to the revered sites each year. Apart from Iraq and Syria, Shia-Sunni sectarian violence is at its rise in Yemen, Pakistan and Bahrain. Sectarian tensions are high in other states, especially the in Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, where Shias are a minority.
These unfortunate circumstances have eclipsed the joys of Eid in the Muslim World. This joyous occasion of Eid-ul Fitar should not make us forget our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who continue to suffer day after day and even on a day like Eid. We must ask Allah to relieve them and us from all calamities and ill returns; as we ask Allah to grant us and them goodness, prosperity and victory with the return of Ramadan next year.
