Fireworks in Celebration of America's Independence Day
May God Grant the Syrians their Day Soon Enough
At
first I was ashamed of RSVPing no—especially when I ran into the bride to be
and she asked me gleefully if I was coming. To the wedding. To the bridal
shower. To the engagement party. To the celebratory dinner. The laundry list of
partying was ridiculous and so long that even I personally got sick of the
repetition. Because she wouldn’t be the only one. There were many before her,
and many would come after her. But the problem lied in what seemed like a faint
absence in their concern or deep thought for their people being slaughtered,
raped and demolished on a minute-to-minute basis in Syria. [Please note I said
faint…do not attack!]
I
mean non-Syrians in the street were now suddenly concerned (and aware of)
Syria, yet the Syrians were still skipping across the trail in la-la-land,
believing that their attendance at this rally or that protest would be deep
enough to alter the life of a mother who witnessed her infant being murdered,
or a boy who watched his sibling brutally beaten to death. I couldn’t understand
it, and still don’t. But I took this oath, this vow, along with my mother that
until this regime of savage villains falls to pieces and beyond, I would not
set foot at another extravagant gathering.
Now,
as the matters in Syria get worse, and the parties over here get even better, I
find no more shame in strongly supporting my decision not to attend. I believe
in the Day of Judgment, when I will be facing my Lord, my Creator, and I want
to be able to say I did sacrifice something from my life for the sake of the
Syrians. And it wasn’t just a few hours at a rally, but it was days and weeks
and months of avoiding useless partying and chatting where people are holding
their glasses high in joy, having just brushed off their 15-seconds of Syrian
remembrance where they said, “Yeah, it’s so sad. May God help them…because I
really wana go back and visit Syria.” Uh selfish a bit?
You
do realize that Syria isn’t just a place you take a vacation in for a few weeks
with your family. It is a country that many considered their home. Home. Does that word ring an eerie bell
in you? Because you still have one, that shelters you, protects you, keeps you
cool and warm, holds your food, water, electricity, wi-fi, television, and so
much more. All of which those Syrians have lost in an instant because they just
wanted to be treated as humans.
At
the beginning I supported all the protests and rallies, and I still do. Don’t
get me wrong. It’s one thing that can and should be done to spread awareness
even further. But it is just one
thing. The problem that I have noticed from the Syrians around me is that they
are willing to do the easiest and most minimal acts of sacrifice for Syria.
It’s quite easy to get in your car and drive over to a protest where you hold a
sign, or recite a few things under the hot sun. But it’s not easy to reroute
your financial investments to support the Syrian refugees that were pushed out
of their country because they now have rubble in place of where their home used
to be. It’s not easy to dedicate an entire week or month of extra fasting from
dawn to sunset for the sake of God to aid His people in Syria. It’s not easy to
make a vow to God that you will increase your Quranic readings for the sake of
victory and peace for the Syrian people. It’s not easy to make this internal
adjustment and true sacrifice for them; and hence, we remain in this stagnant
process, watching the news give us gut wrenching numbers of deaths in the 200s
and 300s as if they were just a group of ants that were stepped on. It’s
despicable!
But
then I come across these families and their unbelievable expenses and
continuous parties. I get it. You found a guy/girl and you’re getting hitched.
I truly am happy seeing how shaky relationships are these days. And inside when
I got all your invites I prayed to God so deeply that you would be eternally in
love and continue down a path of strength and merriment and overcome every
obstacle in life. But my friends, couldn’t you downsize? Create a more intimate
family and friends setting and use the saved up the money on donations to
assist the Syrians and their refugees who are now living in tents (by the way)
on the borders of Syria and its neighboring countries because the other
countries themselves cannot host all the refugees? To pay your bills for the
first few months of marriage?
Did
it never occur to couples to just host a big spiritual gathering in lieu of a
wedding or dinner or party or shower and conduct a prayer night of religious
recitations and lectures focusing on things we can sacrifice for the sake of
God to help the Syrian people?
To
99% of the population I sound crazy, but in my heart I know I’m not. And I’m
not afraid of my opinions or decisions anymore, no matter what facial
expressions or glares I may receive. It’s funny, or sad, that when I express
this concern and my views on Syria I’m faced with…you got it…criticism. I can’t
even post a picture of Syrian deaths that shook me without facing the
repercussions of it. But its well applauded for people to post pictures of them
posing and shopping and feeding their babies and any other personal piece of
information they just have to share with the public realm. It’s totally cool.
Well not anymore. That’s yet another piece of sacrifice for my community to
consider. Trying to remember the meaning of the word privacy and apply it in
life—especially the social networking one. It’s time for people to wake up and
accept the reality that the change needs to be a deep internal one—one that
affects you personally, because you are sacrificing something you like that’s
wasteful, for the sake of God in the dedicated intent for the Syrians.
Many
may not understand this type of sacrifice, but having just left Ramadan not too
long ago, Muslims, you should not have forgotten the effort and blessings that come
with this sacrifice. And even those who are not Muslim, who know of that
heartfelt sacrifice you do for your Lord, your Creator, you understand that
this is the one that brings the result. This is the one our Syrian brothers and
sisters are yearning for halfway across the world.
This
is the one we need to start working towards.
