This year’s Christmas will be like no other.
With the coronavirus pandemic having shaken the ground on which we stand, Christmas this year is a time to look deep within ourselves, and fix the things that matter.
For more than 3 million Bangladeshi Christians, December 25 is the most important religious holiday in the calendar. Christmas, however, also presents us with the opportunity to come together as a nation to celebrate the incredible diversity of religions, ethnicities, and cultures which call Bangladeshis their home.
Never has it been more urgent for communities to stand up for each other -- we must tap into the incredible generosity of spirit and plurality of identity that has allowed us to tackle crises in the past, such as the Holey Artisan attack in 2016, the Rohingya crisis in 2017 and, this year, the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is only through the very real realization that we are all in this together as a nation that we will be able to ensure that we are protected -- Covid-19 stands as a great example of how, only through considering ourselves as a community, can we truly tackle obstacles on our path towards sustainable development and social progress.
While we have officially been in the middle of the pandemic since March, this is a crucial, and somewhat frightening time for all of us. On the one hand, a vaccine is ready and distribution is just around the corner. But on the other hand, mutation of the virus has created new worries. We cannot, just yet, let our guards down. That means, this must be a socially distanced Christmas.
And so, with masks on, hands washed and sanitized, and from a safe distance, we wish our readers a Merry Christmas.
