大象传媒

Good morning.

`Id al-Adha is the major Muslim festival of sacrifice celebrated at the end of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. It is a time when Muslims all over the world remember the triumph of good over evil, the triumph of Ibrahim and Isma`il (Abraham and Ishmael, peace be upon them) over not only Satan but also their own desires. When God commanded Abraham through a dream that he must sacrifice his son Ishmael, both the old and frail father and the young strong son surrendered to the will of God. This was of course a test from God and they both passed it with flying colours. The Qur鈥檃n tells us an animal was sent from heaven and sacrificed in place of Ishmael. Muslims continue to commemorate that to this day and those who can afford it sacrifice an animal and share the meat with family, friends and the poor.

It鈥檚 by pure coincidence that this year `Id al-Adha falls a day after people around the world were reminded of 9/11. So our celebrations will be tinged with sadness for the innocent victims of terrorism and war even as we celebrate the festival of `Id, for each of the victims had a name, was a father or mother, a husband or wife, a son or daughter, a grandfather or grandmother. There is no international anniversary to remember all the victims of terrorism and the war on terror and there are no plaques to keep their memory alive.

Dear God, ease the pain of this world and enable us to respect and cherish every life equally, amin.