大象传媒

It seems like only yesterday when Muslims were preparing for Ramadan, a few with some trepidation because of the long summer days. My son taking his GCSE鈥檚 was torn between choosing whether to fast or not. But all that was a month ago. Now greetings of `Id Mubarak and happy `Id are in the air. Muslims celebrate `Id, marking the end of Ramadan, by wearing their best clothes, offering special morning prayers and giving charity to others. They feast and visit family and friends. Children look forward to receiving presents and pocket money.

Christians observe Lent and Palm Sunday remembering the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.聽 Although as a Muslim my beliefs are different, I understand that this is the essence of the Christian faith.

In recent times Easter and indeed Christmas have become very commercialised and for many have lost much of their spiritual meaning. During an assembly at our madrasah, I asked the pupils why they thought Easter was important to Christians. The teenagers shared some thoughtful and good answers and I was impressed by their knowledge of Christianity, which they had learned in school. Then a little boy said, 鈥淓aster is important because we get Easter eggs and bunnies!鈥� He made me smile and the whole assembly laughed but deep down I felt sad. Upon reflection I see a similar trend developing in Muslim festivals. I believe that religious teachers聽 have a responsibility to ensure that holy and spiritual occasions retain their original spirit and message.

Dear God, enable us Muslims to keep `Id al-Fitr spiritual alongside our merry making, amin.