It is important at this time of rejoicing across the entire Muslim world to take the time to think of those who must find it hard to celebrate.
We think of the mother in Aleppo mourning her dead children, and the millions in Syria who face death every day as the murderous civil war rumbles on with no end in sight.
We remember the people of Egypt who are becoming increasingly estranged as the Muslim Brotherhood persists in resisting the government, with an increasing death toll only fuelling lasting resentment.
We stand with the Palestinians who continue to live under a remorseless occupation without hope of an honourable peace, as their lives become harder and harder.
But at this time of Eid, it is also vital to remember the many Muslims who are showing the world how much Islam can offer humanity. Therefore we also remember the following:
We rejoice with the young Pakistani girl Malala Yousufzai who told the world that education should be a right for all, and so irritated the narrow extremists that they shot her in the head, from which she recovered and is now an outstanding example of a young Muslim woman seeking to improve the world.
We praise the Hedayah Centre set up by the UAE government under United Nations auspices to counter violent extremism across the world by encouraging the use of rule of law and human rights to undermine the use of religion as a tool to “exclude and marginalise”.
But most important of all, at this time of Eid, we celebrate with the millions of Muslims worldwide, from Iraq to Myanmar, from Libya to Afghanistan, who are struggling to live their lives with as much normality as possible in the midst of the tragic violence that surrounds them. We wish them well, their heroism in pursuing normality in the midst of strife humbles us and offers an inspiration for our own lives.
