Alleba Politics

Today, November 4, 2005, was declared a holiday by Pres. Arroyo. Today is supposedly Id-al-Fitr, the last day of the Ramadan of our Muslim brothers. (It actually occurred about two nights ago.) Ramadan, simply put, is similar to the Christian Holy Week.

According to Ramadan on the Net:

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran “was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation”

It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month. Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation

During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning

The past few years, Pres. Arroyo has declared Id-al-Fitr as a holiday in solidarity with our Muslim brothers.

However, I see little of this so-called solidarity from our government. If the government is really serious in embracing our Muslim brothers and their Islam faith, Pres. Arroyo and her cohorts in the so-called “war against terrorism,” should step back and ponder on the effects of their military offensive in Mindanao.

Even if we do not hear much about it nowadays, a war is still being waged everyday in the Automous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Families are broken and displaced; children are orphaned and remain un-educated; people are jobless and desperate. All because, rather than re-building the area and pushing for peace and development, Arroyo chose to continue an already nonsensical war.

If this administration is really sincere in being one with our Muslim brothers, they should show in ways which are more concrete and long-lasting other than simply declaring today as a holiday. Because the true spirit of Ramadan, of Islam and of Christianity, for that matter, does not lie in simply observing rites and traditions but in living its virtues. And one of those, no doubt, is peace.

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