The Egyptian poet and novelist Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, Editor-in-Chief of Silk Road Today, published a greeting to the creators of international cultural institutions, stating:
“On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, I extend my congratulations to my fellow writers who are members of the Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA), my fellow journalists in the Congress of African Journalists (CAJ) and the Asia Journalist Association (AJA), my fellow writers in the World Organization of Writers (WOW), and my fellow poets in the World Poetry Movement (WPM).”
However, it is an incomplete greeting; for Eid arrives while we, the guardians of the word, are powerless to wipe away the tears of grieving mothers in Palestine. Our words cannot bring back the children whose lives were taken by the brutal hands of aggression in our occupied land. Our expressions fall short of condemning those who usurp land, silence voices, imprison the free, and assassinate journalists.
Yet, words are all we have.
The forces that defied the words of heaven now disregard the words of humanity and the laws of justice. They are backed by a ruthless machine that boasts of freedom, justice, democracy, and human rights—yet fails to uphold them.
Let this year’s greeting be postponed—until justice is rightfully restored to humankind. Only then shall we say: Eid Mubarak.
