“O
you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed
for those before you, that you may become righteous.”
(Al-Baqara 2: 184).
In
Islam, the fasting of the holy month of Ramadan has been ordained for
the believers to completely adhere themselves to God Almighty and to
revive each parcel of faith, love, kindness and humanity which
resides in the profoundness of their selves. Ramadan comes as a
motivator, a catalyst for the steadfast servant of God, to propel him
to follow the divine commandments and change his life and habits to
reflect that of a true Muslim.
If
God Almighty has ordained fasting for all humanity and for all faiths
since the dawn of time, it is most certainly for their own benefit.
In Islam, God has perfected the practice of fasting and established
it for an obligatory one month period to incite all healthy Muslim
believers to leave behind all negativities of their lives and to
start afresh, giving them the necessary guidelines through the Holy
Quran and the Sunnah (practices of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh)).
FASTING
& TRAVELLING
Allah
says in the Holy Quran: “(Fasting is) for
a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey,
the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later. For those
who can do it (with hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that
is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free
will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that you
fast, if you only knew.” (Al-Baqara 2: 185).
Indeed
our Almighty Allah has our goodwill in mind. For the travellers such
as for someone taking a short or long flight [or travelling long
distances by train etc.], they have the option to pay the Fidya
if they are not able to fast, due to their health problems and the
inconvenience that travel may bring. But, if they feel completely
able (completely healthy) to fast even in these situations, they may
fast.
Now
what do we understand by ‘FIDYA’?
It is a religious obligation for every Muslim who has reached puberty
and is unable to fast for the required number of days and
who is also unable to make up for the missed fast.
The
Fidya or compensation for missed fasts is important for people
who for very valid reasons cannot observe the fasting of Ramadan. It
represents the value of the same type of meal you consume. For
example, for each day of fasting missed, an equivalent of Rs. 100
(Mauritian rupees) – or the value of meals for a day (at least 2
meals a day) – should be given to the poor. The latter will then be
able to buy adequate food to observe the fast.
Do
not confuse Fidya and Fitra. The Fitra is a
one-time payment – for one day only – that you make and that is
based on the same value and quality of food that you consume. The
Fitra is payable only once on each head. It is obligatory for
everyone, even for the baby who has just been born. It is even
obligatory for this poor Muslim believer who is fasting. You fast or
not (even if you are travelling, sick, students, pregnant women,
etc.), the Fitra is mandatory. It is not the same as Fidya
which represents compensation for the missed day/s of fasting.
The sovereignty of, and territorial rights over, the Chagos Archipelago is a matter of contention between Mauritius and the United Kingdom for more than half a century now. Before granting national independence to Mauritius in 1968, the retreating colonial power played shady games to retain its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region. As it happened, two years before the granting of Independence, the colonial power decided to retain a land foothold in the region for the longer term and hence excised the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius. During the pre-independence political negotiations between Mauritius national leaders and the British government, the continued British-control over the Islands was legitimated through questionable deals- thanks to the obvious unequal bargaining power between the parties- the Conquerors leveraging their heft of power and their political subjects on the negotiating table desperately seeking freedom from colonial yoke. Through offering best relations beyond independence, paying 'peanuts' as immediate compensation and a vague promise of returning the Islands to Mauritius at an unspecified future date when the facility at the Islands would no longer be needed for 'defence purposes', Britain sought to retain its control over the Chagos Archipelago for the indefinite future. 
Responding to global shifts in power and the emerging equation with the US in the post-second World War/ Cold War scenario, the UK later through a bilateral agreement, leased the strategic Islands to the United States for establishing its grand military base in the heart of the Indian Ocean- the Diego Garcia Naval Base. Almost in parallel, within a decade (1967-1973), Britain ensured that Chagossian villagers were systematically and stealthily ousted from their homes and lands permanently, without any opportunity of returning to their homeland forever! British national security and strategic interests trumped over the rights of poor and vulnerable islanders. Even as the Big Powers- the United States and the United Kingdom- consolidated their strategic interests and military control of the region, the hapless Chagossian people were left to languish in the wilderness of their own catastrophe- in mainland Mauritius, Seychelles, the UK and elsewhere. No wonder, the British colonial excesses in the region continue to scar the national spirit of the formerly subjugated people, the Chagossians in particular.
