The Shame and Pain of this Sorrowful Ramadan

Fasting this Ramadan is sweet and sorrowful. Every time I prepare to begin or end my fast I am gratified by the thought that I observe my fast along with millions of Muslims, who may be poor or rich and reside every continent and country. Yet I can not help but feel the pain and sorrow of the Somali mothers who lost more than 29,000 of their young children because of lack of food, and the many more who will likely starve to death this Ramadan waiting for aid workers to provide them and their families their Iftar meal.

Shameful I am that a Muslim nation has been ravaged in the name of my faith, lead by leaders whose unwavering commitment to establish their Sahria’ law have lost sight of the one tenant required of Muslim leaders; to care for the sick and tend to the poor and young. Determined they are to maintain their hold on a nation of Muslims battered and destroyed by their senseless feudal wars while unable to have the moral fortitude to address the basic needs of their people. Somalis deserve better leaders!

Shameful I am that my Muslim Somali brothers and sisters have to wait for a helping hand of the reluctant international community while they are only 20 miles away from the richest and most prosperous Muslim nations and people who can meaningfully help, but rather turn a blind eye, blame the international community, and hope others will feed the starving Somalis this Ramadan.

Fasting Ramadan requires us Muslims to be mindful that that our first responsibility is to help the needs of our people in our own community whether near or far, Muslim or other. Above all we are accountable to care for the needs of our community and abstain from engaging in the political blame game while waiting for others to lend a fist full of rice whether to Somalis’, or the poor and homeless in our  immediate community or afar.

by mai abdul rahman

An American Palestinian living in Washington D.C. Mai is an educational researcher, writer and speaker. She earned a Doctor of Education from Howard University, School of Education, Educational leadership and Policy program. In that capacity she has researched and published several articles related to educational policy and the state of education in the District of Columbia. As a United Nations consultant, she assisted in developing short and long-term strategies for Birzeit University in the Israeli Occupied West Bank. She developed the fundraising document "Creating a World of Possibilities & Building a Future of Hope", and produced a Johns Hopkins University Documentary "Arab Women Speak Out". Mai hosted and produced "Spotlight on Education" a local television program that addressed District of Columbia school policies, social and economic issues that impact school aged children, families, teachers and administrators . Mai founded American Palestinian Women's Association, and has organized humanitarian relief programs to aid Palestinians as well as homeless women and children in the Washington, DC area. She serves on the executive boards of several non-profit organizations.