Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Somalians' Plight: Let's be part of their solution...


This Ramadhan, unlike the previous ones, I don't really feel excited about eating. It's the 18th day of fasting, and I haven't even been to the Ramadhan Bazaar, not even once, can you believe it?

Every day I cook minimal food for sahur and iftar for my hubby, son and myself - something that we can finish there and then, hoping for no leftover food that I would have to throw away.

And this is because everyday I would see the pictures and read the plights of our brothers and sisters in Somalia... oh, how different their babies and children look compared to our chubby ones! How can we not respond to them and leave them suffering while we have so much food to savour and to waste?

So dear brothers and sisters, let's tone down our preparation for Eidul-fitr this year. We've already got a lot of clothes that we can still use in Syawal - well, we don't need 3 or 4 pairs per person in the family, do we? A new pair for the eid prayer is sufficient enough. And, do we need to have so many types of cookies on our table in Syawal? I've seen houses with more than ten, sometimes up to twenty different jars of cookies - which would still be there even after Syawal was over - not able to be finished.

Let's channel some of our budget to those who need it more than us. Not for them to enjoy celebrating Eidul-fitr the way we would, but for them to survive. Support Islamic Relief Malaysia's efforts to help save their lives.