Is there more to Eid than shopping and eating?

The blessed month of Ramadan is about to leave us for another year. Have the long days of fasting brought us closer to Allah and increased our faith? Have our prayers been of benefit to us, or have they been just empty rituals?

Come Eid day, as we get dressed up and start digging into the mountains of mouth-watering food, how many of us will spare a thought for our brothers and sisters in places like Palestine, Afghanistan or East Africa? No silk shalwar kameez and bangles for them. No biryani and sweets. No running water, no shelter, no security – that is the reality of Eid day for too many of our brothers and sisters.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “None of you will truly believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Will we grab the opportunity as Ramadan ends to do something to help the Ummah? We have the power to make a real difference: Alhamdulillah MPACUK’s successes this past year prove that.

For example, following our victories against pro-Israel MPs at the General Election, the Zionist Islamophobe Phil Woolas then became the 4th MP to lose his seat, after MPACUK campaigned against him. An election court ruled that Woolas had lied in his election leaflets, stirring up hate against Muslims and making up false claims of death threats from extremists. He was thrown out of Parliament for illegal election practices.

Then, perhaps our biggest recent success has been the launch of Stop Islamophobia Week – MPACUK volunteers gathered thousands of signatures on our petition to MPs, local councillors and the police. High profile figures such as George Galloway and Yvonne Ridley supported the campaign commemorating the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and remembering the 8000 Bosnian Muslims that were murdered. Our branches across the country took to the streets, organising vigils, demonstrations and awareness raising events, aswell as working with local Mosques to mobilise against Islamophobia. On a local level we succeeded in securing a public apology from the police in East London and a commitment to do more to protect a Mosque and its community that had been targeted repeatedly by the English Defence League.

Our work continues all year round of course, with many different campaigns and initiatives. We continue to lobby for better media coverage of Muslim issues, with MPACUK spokespeople defending Islam across the media, from prime time BBC shows to local radio stations and newspapers. We continue to work to ensure Muslim voters are empowered to use their votes effectively – hitting the streets as the nation went to the polls earlier this year.

We continue our struggle to wake up our community to do more to help the Ummah – something that comes into sharp focus during this blessed month, with our efforts to spread the Boycott Israeli Blood Dates message.

We can only continue our work in protecting and defending the Ummah with the support and donations we receive from brothers and sisters like you. As Ramadan passes, we are appealing to you to seize this chance to have your good deeds multiplied and donate whatever you can to enable us to continue and strengthen our vital work.

Please click here to donate online: http://www.mpacuk.org/donate-mpacuk.html

You can let the good deeds of Ramadan carry on through the rest of the year, by setting up a standing order online – even a few pounds a month adds up to make a big difference. The Messenger of Allah(pbuh) said: "The best actions are continuous ones even if small." (SahihMuslim)

At this special time we can’t forget the families of the children murdered by Israeli bombs, while we put up with so many of our MPs supporting Israel. Even on our own doorstep, we can’t forget the families living in fear as the fascist EDL steps up its intimidation and violence against Muslims across the country. But above all, as Ramadan passes and Eid arrives, we can’t forget that we have been blessed with security and luxuries that so many of our brothers and sisters around the world can only dream of. May Allah help us to remember them always in our prayers and in our actions.