Today, the tenth day of Muharram, is the holy Day of Ashura, on which Muslims around the globe remember the martyrdom of Husayn Ibn Ali and members of his family in the Battle of Karbala alongside celebrating gods granting of safe passage to Musa (PBUH) and his followers through the Red Sea.
The ethos of Islam dictates that the core tenets of Islam such as fairness, justice, and peace for all is remembered on all important occasions. Given the current state of the country and given the significance of the incidents in question in the Islamic canon, the remembrance of such core tenets becomes all the more important.
Due to both economic and political turmoil, the country is in a state of flux. On the economic side, rising inflation and the continuous increase in the price of commodities has made it so that many can’t even afford their daily necessities anymore. This has given rise to unrest, and people are afraid.
Adding to that, recent events of communal strife have left minorities fearing for their lives. This has left a bad impression on the age-old tradition of communal harmony and upholding secular beliefs that has been a staple of Bangladesh ever since our very inception -- a phenomenon that has further increased due to communal strife in our neighbouring countries.
As such, this Ashura, it is important that there is a focus placed on solidarity. Check up on your neighbours. Invite them to your homes. Make sure to be respectful to everyone and their beliefs, so that no one is harmed through your action.
As citizens of the country, it is the duty of everyone, regardless of their religion, to adopt these characteristics. Given that Ashura takes place in the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, this is the ideal time to start this process.
