CLOSE to two billion Muslims are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, or Hari Raya Aidilfitri as it is known in Malaysia, to mark the close of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar.
In the past, not all Muslims celebrated Aidilfitri as it fell on different days in different parts of the world. This year may be different as astronomical calculations point to a 30-day Ramadan.
But still the crescent sighters must do their sighting. If the sky is clear and the moon is sighted, the following day will be declared Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The celebration around the globe will be that much grander as most Muslim-majority nations mark the beginning of Syawal on the same day.
So will it be in Malaysia, where the Muslim-majority will head to mosques for Raya prayers, followed by a visit to graves of loved ones and then return home to seek forgiveness from their parents.
This is a routine as old as Malaya. There is yet another routine-turned-tradition that is as old as Malaya — the festive open house where people of different races and religions join in the merriment of the day. The open house sometimes stays open for a week, enough time for the neighbourhood and more to join in the festivities.
Malaysians of all faiths and races must take the opportunity to visit their Muslims friends during this Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house, especially when race and religion-based hate is on the rise.
The Hari Raya open house is not just about eating rendang and cookies. It is also about getting to know those who make them. There is much truth in the old adage, to know is to love. If love is not possible, at least we must seek to understand.
Different races, religions and ethnicities go to make the diverse Malaysia that it is today. Do not seek to disturb this universe by spreading hate by any means. A Malaysia so disturbed is not good for anyone. It is not good for the country. And it is not good for the 33 million Malaysians.
Yes, no exception. Rather we must strive for harmony. For some inexplicable reason, our eyes are quick to see differences rather than similarities.
Humans are more similar than they are different, if only the hatemongers knew. Every human seeks happiness, though what happiness is to one may not be the same to another.
Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Kadazans, Bajaus, Dayaks et al all want happiness in this world. Some want happiness in this world and the next. To each their own. Humans, too, seek a purpose in life. Some find it, some don't.
But God has a purpose in creating us in different hues: to make us get to know each other better. The Creator's command is especially applicable to Malaysia, which isn't a homogeneous nation. Many tributaries make the river that is Malaysia.
Some are waterfalls, many aren't. The river must get to know its tributaries. So must the tributaries get to know the other tributaries and the river they jointly make.
While we call on all Malaysians to give this a deep think, we wish Malaysian Muslims Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and our Muslim readers elsewhere Eid al-Fitr.