Muslims in the Guyanese society
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
February 2, 2004
WHAT began yesterday as 'preparation day' continues today as the day of celebration - the day Muslims in Guyana are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice.
Eid-ul-Adha is observed throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son for God, and Muslims symbolize the event by sacrificing cattle and sharing the meat to the poor and needy.
Islam is one of the world's oldest and most controversial religions. Its history centers on Muhammad (messenger of God), the Muslim prophet who was born around 570 A.D. Yet questions abound about the goals of Islam, particularly in the wake of widespread violence and deaths in many places around the world that so-called Islamic fundamentalists claim responsibility for committing in the name of Allah.
In an editorial titled "Muslims as our family" in its January 27 (2004) edition, Barbados Advocate analyzed the debate on the Muslim community partly in the context of "seemingly endless, often bloody, battles engulfing the Middle East and having new worldwide repercussions (that) are as much a discomfiture to our adopted citizens as it is to all people who value peace."
The Advocate nevertheless conceded that Barbadians cannot ignore their country's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and reminded Barbadians of the constitutional entitlement of Muslims "to be part of our national family."
For Muslims in Guyana, their being able to practice their religious beliefs is more than just the result of constitutional guarantees. Muslims are a very big part of the Guyanese society and a major force in the country's religious fraternity. They are part of what Guyana is all about.
In spite of the negative connotations emerging from those parts of the world that have been ravaged by Islamic fundamentalism, our Muslim brothers and sisters here operate on common ground with the rest of society because they subscribe to principles that fundamentally synchronize with the teachings of the country's other major religions.
As the other religions do, Islam preaches faith in the oneness and sovereignty of God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and of his place in it. Thus all people, regardless of race, color, nationality or ethnicity, are considered and treated as equal before God and before the law.
In fact, the word "Muslim" is originated from the Arabic word signifying a person totally devoted to the will of God. And the word "Allah" meaning "the one True God" is also of Arabic origin.
Unfortunately, not everyone in our society subscribes to the principles of oneness, brotherly/sisterly love and respect for one another. Those who commit violent crimes against their fellowmen and those who condone criminal behavior subscribe, instead, to the racism, prejudice and discrimination that have become a widespread problem of the entire human race.
We wish Muslims Happy Eid! We hope that their efforts, along with those of the country's other major faiths, through forums such as the Inter-Religious Organization and the Race Relations Commission will impact positively on a citizenry that naturally crave the human rights to "life, liberty, freedom, equality, justice and...the security of the person."