For Muslims, this Ramadan will be unlike any other in recent memory
Ramadan is the most sacred and often happiest month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a time during which families and communities come together to break bread and help the needy. It’s a time in which mosques are filled with worshippers who want to connect with their creator and nourish their souls. It is also a time in which streets are illuminated, homes are decorated, and children are happy and cheerful.
None of this will happen this year. It will not happen because every Muslim individual is feeling the oppression and injustice that Gazans are enduring.
At the core of our Islamic belief is the notion that believers are like one body; if one part of the body is in pain, the whole body becomes ill with pain and fever. This analogy was made by Prophet Muhammad who taught us that injustice anywhere must be fought by every individual.
Palestinians have endured immense suffering since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. However, never has the suffering reached the scale and magnitude of destruction and killing it has reached today. According to a press release from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, dated Jan. 9, 2024, “Gaza is suffering the world’s worst current hunger crisis – an entirely man-made catastrophe resulting from Israel’s ongoing attacks and siege of the territory that is starving civilians.”
Not only are most Gazans displaced and live in crowded areas, but they are also hungry, thirsty, tired, and not safe. The collective trauma that Gazans are facing today is unimaginable. My cousins in Gaza tell me, they wish either the war ends, or their lives end before the month of Ramadan begins. They cannot imagine living another day of misery, let alone an entire month that is supposed to be festive and joyful.
The glaring failure to bring an end to the unfolding man-made catastrophe in Gaza is a stark example of how leading superpowers like the United States and Canada have failed to uphold justice. At a time in which the International Criminal Court has allowed proceedings against Israel to continue due to a plausible risk of genocide, the US vetoed a motion calling for a ceasefire on Feb. 13, 2024. And while Canada is often quick to condemn acts of terrorism, genocide, or human rights violations, it has not condemned Israel’s actions.
For many Muslims and humans of conscience, the conflict in Gaza has eroded our faith in Western governments and exposed the double standard by which humans are treated. For this reason, hundreds of mosques in Canada have signed on to a letter that states their unwillingness to welcome political leaders into their mosques if they do not condemn Israel’s actions against civilians in Gaza. Some have criticized this move, but if any mosque were to welcome such a political figure, this person will be ‘booed’ similar to what happened to the PM when he was escorted from a mosque in Toronto on Oct. 21, 2023. Thus, if this move was not made by mosques, congregants would be unhappy with their administration and angry with the politician.
It is truly soul crushing for Canadian Muslims to welcome Ramadan this year while the situation in Gaza continues to escalate. The only hope we have is that our sincere and heart-felt prayers for an everlasting peace for Gaza and the people of Palestine will be answered.