EID EL-FITR PROVIDED THE PERFECT EXCUSE By Pablo Yagayo I will never forget my first crush, Madina Hajara Asumpta. Her beauty was unbearable. She positively radiated calmness, cheerfulness, peace, humility and kindness. I always felt a bloodrush in my heart in her presence and briefly experienced a hint of humanity’s greatest potential. Madina was raised in a strict Muslim family that never accepted a non-Muslim to pay them a visit. I always felt that she loved me too but the strict circumstances around her imprisoned her feelings. Her breathtaking dimples were a distinct feature. Every time she smiled at me, I could feel her inner beauty shining out and giving her outward beauty a whole new character, making her more attractive than purely physical beauty could ever achieve. Previously, my friend Muzafalu had told me that the Islamic holy month is very special, that even non-Muslims were invited for Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. I figured out that that was the only day I could pay her a visit. My friend Muzafalu was kind enough to teach me the basic practices carried out on that day. It was my first time to set foot in a mosque. I made sure that Madina’s father saw me do my thing, courtesy of Muzafalu. He was very excited to see me at their doorstep at lunchtime. My little knowledge about the Qur’an betrayed me. It was the equivalent of a Chinese trying to speak French in England. I kept stealing glances at Madina and always caught her looking at me. I asked if she could show me the bathroom, something her father was fully in agreement with. We walked through a corridor before she quickly pushed me into a room and gave me a strict warning. She told me that her brothers had discerned that I wasn’t Muslim because I kept quoting biblical verses, which had no bearing with the Qur’an. She told me that they were conspiring to tell their father that I was an imposter interested in his daughter. That would definitely earn her serious grounding. She told me to use the back door and escape, but I had left my shoes at the front door. She gave me a one-million-dollar hug and promised to return a favour if I left with immediate effect. I rushed to the living room but was shocked to find my shoes missing. I could smell danger. It didn’t help that my cousin came looking for me to break the news that our piglets had died of swine fever. The rest are bitter memories. I vowed never to gatecrash holy grounds. Happy Eid el-Fitr my Muslim friends.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 07:26:39 +0000
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