Controversially, AoD wishes everyone Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak.
This is controversial on a number of counts as explained over the fold.
Firstly, there is no AoD, only individual bloggers. Despite my secret secular leanings, at this point it is only me who is sending warm, fuzzy (but halal) Eid vibes to yourselves. I leave the rest of the AoD bloggers to opt-in if they choose. Given how secular Jyoti is, he may choose not to.
Secondly, there is the “all” in that sentence. Is it right to thrust on our non-Muslim readers in Bangladesh a greeting from the dominant religion? Is it not impolite/ghetto politics to leave out our non-Muslim readers in countries where Islam is not the dominant religion from this greeting? Are we excluding or including forcefully? Again, I hope people opt-in to this one. If you feel offended, rest assured our intention is not to offend. If you feel warm and fuzzy (though not necessarily halal) inside, please leave us some wishes too.
Thirdly, there is the matter of timing. Clearly we have revealed our secret Neo-Con agenda by jumping the gun and not synchronising our lunar clocks with the Saudis. Right? RIGHT? Well, that’s an old controversy. We do not wish to force our calendars/methodologies on anyone. Again, opt-in whenever you feel Eid is. If you have weak eyes and Eid is 4 days away, please leave us wishes then (always assuming you’ve opted-in so far).
Fourthly, there will be some w@nker who will point out at the linguistic choices behind that Mubarak versus Mabrouk versus Shubheccha versus Wishes, and what that reveals of our REAL agenda (uddyeshyo). Please don’t be that person, though again, feel free to opt-in at the risk of being featured on the weekly post.
Lastly, but most seriously, if you are in Dhaka, please remember that girl in the slum by the railroad on a day like this. It might be that she doesn’t have the option of opting-in at all.
classic post 71sters.
a begrudging stationary note, drained of spirit and bracketed.
I grew up in a predominantly Christian country and went to an Anglican school. I have very fond memories of Christmas and Easter, because they were very celebrated as inclusive festivals and my parents were very open minded about these things, compared to those of many non-Christian friends of mine. As a result, these are still my favourite times of year, even if all I do is watch the specials on TV.
As we have learned to say in New York, where the Empire State Building has been lit up in green for the last three nights, “Happy Holidays” to all.