Displaced Palestinian Shireen al-Kurdi made crochet dolls to sell for the Eid-ul-Fitr - at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Kurdi, who was displaced from the Jabalia refugee camp with her husband and their five children, is a graduate in Arabic language. The truce in place since October between Israel and Hamas has seen the level of violence drop in Gaza -- even though there are still regular reports of Israeli strikes and deaths.
Image: EYAD BABA / AFP
EID is but the culmination of Ramadaan, a time for self reflection for self improvement, but also compassion and empathy for humanity.
In our country, faced with food security challenges, feeding the less privileged and charity is important. It is a blight on all of us that the promise at the advent of our democracy of a better life for all has been so tarnished.
The Madlanga Commission starkly demonstrates how the Shadow State has so completely captured our country.
This year Venezuela is invaded, and Iran attacked. International law is discarded for the law of the jungle with no red lines.
Unashamedly and proudly in the genocide of Gaza, starvation is used as a weapon of war, hospitals are bombed, and defenceless women and children are butchered in the hundreds of thousands. And the nightmare continues.
Yet we have cabinet ministers who brazenly oppose our democratic values, and pay allegiance to the evil ethos of the oppressors.
Eid is a time to celebrate with family and neighbours, but also to take stock of how low we as a country have sunk. Reflection not followed by action is of no value. Which is why the remedy is active citizenry to ensure constructive change.
ASLAM MAYAT
Executive member of the Active Citizens Movement
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.