Festival of Sacrifice

Enab Baladi Issue # 86 – Sun, Oct. 13, 2013 – Editorial

Eighty six days have passed; more than 6000 Syrians were killed: shot, tortured to death, or suffocated from poisonous gas. All of these were just numbers to us, separating the last Eid from the coming one. It seems the endless suffering that we are enduring has mummified our humanity. All we did was pause for a few seconds in shock, praying for God’s mercy, or pressing the “Like” button for these pages which cherish the memory of those numbers, or condemn their murderer. The first anniversary of Daraya massacre has passed as well; and a more atrocious one was committed in Eastern Ghouta, and between them two dozen of massacres escaped our attention, for they were way less devious. It seems truthful that “One death is a tragedy, one million is a statistic”.

Two days are left till Adha Eid (Festival of the Sacrifice), which holds high values for humanity. However, we seem to have entirely abandoned these values. We are expected to sacrifice for the truth, humanity, and values, not to sacrifice them for our self-interests, and to practice self-denial to reach the true humanity. The values behind the sacrifice of Adha Eid are to protect our humanity, to assert our rights, and to prevent any violation of these rights. What we need is not the sacrifice that takes us centuries back, to the times when heroes and virgins were offered human sacrifices to please the sovereigns.