Bloody Valentine: Reflections on War and Muslim Holidays

By Ahmed Nassef

And when (his son) was old enough, (Abraham) said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So look, what do you think? He said: O my father! Do what you are commanded. God willing, you will find me among the patient. (Qur'an 37:102)

This week marks two of the biggest celebrations on the modern Muslim calendar. This year the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) happens to fall on the same week as Valentine's Day, making this a confusing week for many Muslims who have to choose between spending their money on feeding the hungry, or chocolate hearts for that special someone.<

Valentine's seems to be winning among some young people in Kashmir, where sales of Valentine cards are outpacing Eid greetings, and in the shopping malls of Cairo, Dubai and Kuwait, where stores are adorned with heart balloons and cupids. So it's no wonder that it is not easy to keep focused on the Eid.

But the meaning of the Eid story, the triumph of faith, and then of God's justice, is especially poignant this year.

The Eid, after all, commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son, and his son's acquiescence, in deference to a divine vision, one that they were later commanded not to carry out.

Amidst all the celebrations this week, Muslims are readying another sacrifice. This time, the act is not based on an inspired dream, but on battle plans engineered in Washington. The tool will not be a sharp knife, but 3,000 precision-guided missiles launched in the first 48 hours from neighboring Muslim countries. The object of the sacrifice is not one young man, but the people of Iraq and the mosques and churches of historic Baghdad.

As streets all over Europe, Australia, and North America fill with millions of people calling for a stop to aggression, the avenues of Roxy in suburban Cairo and the wide lanes of Olaya Street in Riyadh are quiet, except for the window shoppers.

Why?

May be it is fear of the murderous clampdown that would follow by the government security forces in these countries.

May be the years of humiliation and hardship have hardened people's hearts.

May be we are too busy watching satellite TV preachers discussing the finer aspects of correct posture during ritual prayer.

May be it is the hope that by sacrificing Iraqi children, our own will be spared.

Or may be we are waiting for a ram to fall out of the sky.

Bush and Rumsfeld are probably betting on one of these possibilities. And they may be right. But what if they're wrong, and this is the calm before the storm? The world knows they are willing to sacrifice thousands of nameless Iraqis, but how many Americans are they willing to sacrifice for a mad quest to control the world's oil?