After a month of fasting and spiritual devotion, Eid-ul-Fitr is knocking at the door. Drawn by the pull of their roots, people are rushing toward their homes and village hearths. Ignoring the hardships and hassles of the Eid journey, they travel to share the joy of the festival with their loved ones. While we see an emotional exuberance every Eid, the magnitude of pure joy seems slightly higher this time. Whether rushing to their hometowns or celebrating within the concrete walls of the city, there is a visible sense of relief among everyone.
It is as if people are rejoicing after finally escaping a suffocating environment.
Posting a picture of his journey by train, a government employee wrote: “I couldn't celebrate two Eids with my parents due to the fear of the 'mob.' The king of the mob is gone, so I'm heading home this time.” This sentiment belongs not just to one official, but to countless people.
The constitutional head of Bangladesh, the President, would likely want to forget the last two Eids. In a recent interview with Kaler Kantho, he described the agonizing times he endured during those festivals. He was not even allowed to offer his Eid prayers at the National Eidgah. It shudders the soul to think how cruel and inhumane a regime must be to treat the head of state in such a manner. If such was the plight of the state's guardian, one can easily imagine how the Eid of ordinary citizens felt last year.
Last year, labor unrest and protests were conspicuous before Eid. Workers took to the streets in Mirpur, Rampura, Ashulia, Gazipur, and Narayanganj to demand their wages and bonuses. After the Prof Yunus government took power, factories closed one after another. Many industries fell victim to “mob terrorism”. Arson attacks targeted numerous factories. Industrialists and entrepreneurs received neither remedy nor justice. Factories burned for days and were looted indiscriminately, while law enforcement remained idle. This was because the government took no initiative to prevent such terrorism; no instructions were given to the security forces. Instead, the previous Yunus government provided silent support to the mobs. The interim government attempted to legitimize mob violence, and under government indulgence, these mobs became unstoppable. Extortionists caught red-handed were released from police stations, and criminals were freed from jail with total disregard for the law. The people lived in extreme insecurity. Last Eid was spent in total uncertainty and terrifying panic. This Eid, we are free from that terror.
Due to attacks and looting, owners could not pay the salaries of workers in closed factories. Many entrepreneurs kept their businesses shut out of fear. Millions of workers spent the last Eid in hunger or begging. They couldn't smile; their Eid was soaked in tears. After the departure of an investment-destroying government of eighteen months, owners are waiting to start anew. Workers, too, are hopeful for a new dawn. Both hope that everything will gradually return to normal. For them, this Eid brings relief. One worker remarked, “Only Allah knows how we passed those eighteen months. May such a dark time never return to anyone’s life.”
While a massive transformation isn't possible in just one month, the fear and panic have vanished from people's minds. Everyone is dreaming again. This Eid, therefore, marks the beginning of a new creation standing upon the ruins.
The last two Eids were also a dark time for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. One shopkeeper said, “I couldn't do business during the last two Eids due to the oppression of extortionists. This time, that dominance is gone.” During the last year and a half, the media’s voice was stifled. Yet, reports of extortion and attacks on shopping malls remain vivid in the minds of traders. That suffocating situation has ended. Despite economic struggles, people are trying to bring a smile to their family’s faces with their last resources. This is not just an Eid festival; it is a celebration of liberation.
The state of the media over the last eighteen months is evident from the writings of AKM Monjurul Islam, executive editor of Bangladesh Pratidin. The horrific picture of media suppression under the Yunus government has also emerged in interviews with noted journalist Anis Alamgir, who was recently released from prison. For media professionals, this Eid carries a different kind of joy. In his sensational piece titled "Our Those 18 Months," Monju wrote: “For 18 months of the interim government, we were under terrible pressure... we were victims of mobs consisting of unruly people under the guise of 'anti-discrimination' activists.” After his release, Anis Alamgir told Deutsche Welle: “The voice of the press was stifled more during the interim government than during the Awami League era. They controlled who would work in a newspaper and who wouldn't. Anyone could 'mob' any newspaper office.”
Thus, for all media workers regardless of party affiliation, this Eid is one of celebration and freedom. Those who performed professional duties in fear now feel that dread has lessened. Media workers hope that an elected government will not stand as an adversary to the press like the Yunus government did.
The Yunus government also brought destruction to the world of sports. The Bangladesh Cricket World Cup team was not allowed to participate in the tournament—what could be more unfortunate? This Eid is surely one of relief for athletes. Every player and supporter will pray this Eid that such a sports-averse government never returns.
In the cultural arena, there was a state of suffocation and fear. Emboldened by the Yunus government, mob forces went on a mission to eradicate culture across the country. They stopped concerts, attacked artists, and assaulted Bauls (folk singers). Drama, cinema, and cultural practices were on the verge of shutting down. With the departure of the interim government, life has returned to the cultural sphere. Artists and crews are celebrating Eid with the hope that the new government will nurture free thought.
All in all, this Eid festival is different. It feels as if a heavy stone has been moved from the chest of Bangladesh. For eighteen months, Bangladesh could not breathe; it was shriveled in fear. Extreme anarchy and horrific lawlessness reigned across the land. That state has ended. Is this joy any less? Let the prayer of this Eid celebration be that a night darker than this never returns to the future of Bangladesh.
Audite Karim is a writer and playwright.
