It is unfortunate that a religious season supposedly devoted to worship and reflection has been turned instead into a shopping extravaganza. The nights before the start of Ramadan and before Eid, we see our cities transformed into giant market places. Shops, malls and even little corner groceries are so full of people scrambling to buy everything they can afford that one would think famine or some kind of calamity was about to strike.
People suddenly realize that tomorrow is Ramadan or tomorrow is Eid. Fearing that the shelves may empty before they get to the market, the scramble begins. Immediately after the announcement of Eid, the shoppers jump into their cars, clogging the already overcrowded streets. Inside the shops packed with people, they buy whatever was offered them, without checking either quality or price. The overwhelmed salesmen had no time to argue and if you were slow, someone else would buy the item from your hand? Why waste time checking whether this or that product is of a quality that matches its price?
Is this the way of welcoming the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid which follows? Why do people spend most Ramadan evenings in malls and shopping centers instead of where they are supposed to be — mosques and places of worship?
I wonder if this unfortunate conduct reflects a state of apathy and helplessness felt by Muslims as a result of what they see happening around them. Is this self-absorption the result of internal factors or does it reflect a failure to confront problems such as soaring prices and unsatisfactory services? How many of us bother to evaluate a purchase in terms of price and quality?
People throng shops and willingly pay whatever is asked and often leave with what could have been had for a much lower price than they paid. What most merchants want is to double profits. Is this the ultimate result of a failed system and the indifference of the various municipalities and the Ministry of Commerce?
Who is to blame for all this? Can we say it is because of internal or external factors? Or is it simply because we are a people who act too often on impulse alone?
Arab News From the Local Press 14 December 2002
