ALKHOBAR, 24 October 2006 — Eid Al-Fitr is supposed to be a day of simple pleasures. Laughing with friends, eating tasty treats and taking lazy naps in the middle of the day, are all part of the enjoyment of Eid. This year the weather in the Eastern Province was a delightful 25 degrees with a light breeze.
Ahadul Islam and his friends Kamrul Islam, Muhammad Rafiq, Muhammad Shadat and Muhammad Babul were spending the afternoon of Eid sitting near the seaside playing a card game called “29.” The five Bangladeshi friends had met yesterday morning at 5:30 for prayer. Then they remained together at Shadat’s home to share Eid together.
In the morning they had cooked a special type of Eid dish made from sweet vermicelli. Then Shadat had prepared the main feast, mutton biryani, that they had brought to their picnic on Alkhobar’s Corniche. The men have between three and five days vacation each depending on their type of job.
“Different companies have different policies in regards to the Eid vacation,” said Kamrul Islam. “It basically depends on the work requirements and how long a business can afford to be closed.”
Everyone admitted that it was a little bit difficult to be away from home for this festive occasion, but their jobs were important and at least they had been able to send some money back to Bangladesh for their families.
“In Bangladesh they won’t celebrate Eid until tomorrow, but we all called home today and our families are in good spirits,” Kamrul Islam remarked. “Mobily is charging off peak rates for the whole day today so were able to chat for a good while with our loved ones. This is much better than before when it used to be very expensive to phone home.”
The men will be spending the entire holiday together, moving to a different venue for an outing daily with special meals planned for each afternoon. While these five friends seemed happy and content on Eid, the same cannot be said for three other Bangladeshis who were having a very different kind of holiday.
“We actually have no holiday at all,” said Muhammad Hazrat Ali. “We have been assigned to work 12-hour shifts during Eid. Our work is the same as always.”
Ali, along with Muhammad Osman and Muhammad Yaseen are attendants at Al-Khozama Fuel Station. They will not be paid any overtime pay. Their salaries are just SR500 monthly. But despite the hardships, they are grateful.
“Many Bangladeshis have no work at all, so we are better off to at least have jobs,” said Ali. “This morning we went to the Eid prayer and asked Allah to help us. We must trust in His Mercy.”
