Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

A few contacts on-line have thought that I was Muslim, largely because of my name, and a good friend in the new media circuit have asked if I was Muslim. He thought it was a strange question but he asked anyway and I told him sometimes I wish I was Muslim! I have a number of Muslim friends and I was born to a Catholic family although I am not a practicing Catholic, but my family has been extremely tolerant of my choices. Islam as a way of life directed towards total submission to Allah translates to a lot of charitable, peaceful and intelligent programs for the self-determined progress of communities.

My father named me Fatima after the Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. I have never (as yet) been confronted for having a Catholic name, but have been insulted for having a Muslim name. I think it was two years ago that I received an email from somebody on the Nettime list telling me that I “should be less Muslim and more human.” I have also been insulted a few times on another list some 7 years back for being Filipino. I suppose in the barbaric Internet community, we are all required to be “human beings.”

The Islamic world celebrates Eid Al-Fitr, and here in the Philippines, October 24 has been declared a national holiday in observance of this celebration.

Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر, Persian: عید فطر), often abbreviated as simply Eid, sometimes spelled Eid al-Fitr, is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fitr means “to break the fast” and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family gets up very early and attends special prayers held only for the occasion in mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas. The prayer is generally short, and is followed by a khutba. The festivities and merriment start after the prayers with visits to the homes of friends and relatives and thanking Allah for all blessings. Eid is a time to come together as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. This is a time for peace for all Muslims in the world to devote to prayers and mutual well-being.

It is a joyous occasion with important religious significance. Happiness is observed as attaining spiritual uplift after a month of fasting. Muslims dress in holiday attire. After attending the special congregational prayer in the morning, worshippers greet and embrace each other in a spirit of peace, love, and brotherhood. Visiting friends and relatives is common.

For Muslims, Eid ul-Fitr is a joyful celebration of the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory and peace, of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking God for the help and strength that they believe He gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.

EMail This Post This entry was posted by Fats on Monday, October 23rd, 2006 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Wika at Hirap. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.