As violence rocks other parts of the region and the world, we can be thankful that the spirit of Ramadan is being observed across this country. With the holiday season already begun for government workers, and Eid Al Fitr expected to start on Wednesday, it is appropriate to reflect on the values that we hold dear at this time of year. Chief among them is the spirit of giving.
There have been so many acts of charity during Ramadan that this newspaper couldn't possibly publish them all. But we have written about a variety of projects, large and small, of generosity that has made a difference to the lives of those less fortunate. The Reading Nation programme, an initiative of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has distributed five million books to children in refugee camps around the world. Muslims have been distributing zakat funds to the poor. This includes members of the Filipino Muslim community, who have been sending money to villages in the Philippines, so residents can buy goats, rice, sugar, coffee and other ingredients for their Eid feast. One interesting initiative this Ramadan has been the "30 Days of Better" programme run by Western Union and Radio Mirchi, part of Abu Dhabi Media, in which listeners were asked: If you had Dh1,000 to give away, who would you give it to? One listener, although unemployed himself, noted that he was better off than many labourers working on a construction site near his apartment and suggesting the purchase of phone cards to allow low-wage expatriate workers to call their families. Other suggested included buying a wheelchair for an elderly housebound woman, and paying to educate a child in India for a year.
The encouraging conclusion to this is that people everywhere are thinking of how they can help others. Of course, for Muslims it is an obligation to feed the poor during Ramadan, but it is also the right thing for all of us to do at any time of year. The country itself sets an example with its charitable works at home and abroad, and we should all embrace and uphold the spirit of giving.
