#BTColumn – Observing Eid-ul-Fitr despite COVID-19

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.

by Suleiman Bulbulia

Muslims this week end their month of fasting and observe the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. A day of celebration, rejoicing and gratitude for having the opportunity of a blessed month to look inwards with the view to positively rectifying one’s thoughts, words and actions.

Eid is ideally meant to be a communal affair where families, friends and communities get together to pray, share and participate in celebrations. The COVID-19 situation over the past year has made that tradition of gathering very difficult and challenging.

Last year there were no gatherings at all, only among households, but this year in Barbados the restrictions are more relaxed but caution must still be exercised.

Many parts of the world are still under lockdown and so celebrations in those places will perhaps be non-existent. Our neighboring island of Trinidad and Tobago which recognises a national public holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr will still be on lockdown and so Muslims there will be confined to their homes on a day that they would generally make the rounds to the mosques, family members, friends and neighbours.

The times we live in continue to be unusual and our generation has certainly witnessed much during this pandemic and its resulting challenges. We can only hope that some light is at the end of the tunnel allowing us to come out intact, refreshed and renewed.

Faith communities have certainly been challenged over the last year to fulfill their traditional religious obligations absent of the usual vibrant congregations that would participate in such gatherings.

Virtual meetings and prayer sessions while the accepted norm now, cannot replace physical human interaction as we are creatures of social gathering. We love to get together. And days of celebration especially are difficult if we can’t meet face to face to enjoy the company of each other.

Faith communities have had to adopt and adapt and for some it is extremely difficult. Finding shortcuts around the protocols or dismissing them outright to gather is, as we have witnessed, extremely detrimental and can result in even greater tragedy.

The recent case in Barbados, as reported in our media, of a church in the north circumventing the rules of gatherings and COVID-19 protocols in places of worship shines a very negative light on faith communities, who by and large have been very good at following the regulations.

But that case also recognises that even in our midst there are those who will have the type of fundamentalist ideologies that are found elsewhere and often not associated with faith organisations in Barbados.

As a Muslim I have grown accustomed to being told of the fundamentalists in the Islamic faith. The reality is that they do exist in all religious groups and common to all is that reason and logic don’t seem to be part of their mindset.

If “love for your fellow human what you love for yourself” is one of the bedrock tenets of all the faiths in the world then no religious group should engage in such activities and behaviours that would endanger the lives of others.

Yet there is that tendency to leave logic and reason behind in the pursuit of what some individuals believe is their God-given right to do as they please regardless of the consequences.

I found the case of the Church in the north, the resulting standoff with some of its members and the subsequent charges laid worrying. Although this was a single incident and not indicative of widespread behaviour, the question must be asked is how did such thinking get here and lead to all of this?

It was commendable that the major religious umbrella groups issued statements distancing their organisations from such activities. And recognising limited or no control over independent groups.

India today is reeling from a huge spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. For many of the East Indian community in Barbados and especially the Muslims here of Gujarati origin (Gujarat is in the western part of India) this spike has hit the villages of that region extremely hard. I am told these villages are averaging as many as two deaths a day. Almost nightly at prayers in our mosques we are told to pray for the deceased relative who passed away in one of these villages.

It is being reported that one of the main causes of this most deadly surge in a country that was doing so well at controlling this pandemic since it started is the allowances given to devotees to attend a religious festival at the River Ganges. The Washington Post on May 8th reported:

“As coronavirus cases in India shot upward last month, millions of people converged on the Ganges River to bathe at a holy spot offering a chance at salvation.

“When the pilgrims returned to their homes across the country, some brought the virus with them.

“The precise role of the Hindu religious festival — the Kumbh Mela — in India’s raging outbreak is impossible to know in the absence of contact tracing. But the event was one source of infections as cases skyrocketed, according to local officials, religious leaders and media reports.

“More than 414,000 new cases were reported in India on Friday, a global record. About 4,000 people are dying a day, but such figures are an undercount. Experts believe the number of fatalities will rise in coming days, since deaths from COVID-19 lag behind new cases.”

Faith groups must play their part in working with communities to ensure that this virus doesn’t spread and is contained. Following protocols, rules and regulations whether we like them or not is what will safeguard everyone’s interest.

We can’t simply buy into conspiracy theories and other fantasies without considering the bigger picture. We must also rely on logic and reason to guide our thinking. Faith is a great healer but it must be accompanied by what is sound information.

There is a saying in my faith and it was occasioned by an incident in which a Bedouin was leaving his camel without tying it.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked him “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in God.” The Prophet then replied, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in God.”

For sure in this pandemic we must tie our “camels” first and put our trust in God.

To expect that mere belief, without corresponding action, awareness or reason, will be your safety net, then you are setting up your “camels” to run wild, run away or destroy someone else’s property.

Our faith teachings and the messengers of God over centuries have not left for us a legacy of blind faith instead they have by practical examples in their own blessed lives left for us wholesome teachings the last an eternity.

I wish all Muslims a blessed Eid and a pray for humanity that this pandemic will go away sooner rather than later. Stay safe.

Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the U.W.I, Cave Hill Campus and Chair, Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com