A Holiday for the Martyrs… In Loyalty to Those More Noble Than Us All

As I See 

Adel El-Baz

They slept so that our dreams might grow from the soil,
And hopes might bloom above the remains.
— Mohammed Mahdi Al-Jawahiri

The sacrifices of the martyrs are nothing less than eternal chapters of giving, where the soil of the land is transformed into fertile ground from which life and hope grow for future generations. Martyrdom for the sake of God and the homeland is not annihilation, but rather a magnificent continuation of existence and a flowing source for the flourishing of a nation. It is a noble passage, granting its bearer a graceful transition from the hardships and narrowness of worldly life to the vastness of a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, where eternity and honor reside.

1

“The martyrs are more noble than all of us.” We have long repeated this phrase with our tongues — but where are the actions? They are now forgotten; neither the state nor those for whom they sacrificed even remember them in prayer.

To those who have now returned joyfully to Khartoum, I call upon you to go, individually and in groups, to visit the graves of the martyrs in “Sarkab” and elsewhere, where graves stretch as far as the eye can see. Let us remember that the price of this return was paid in advance by those martyrs whose graves now cover the capital and indeed the entire country.

2

If we are to be honest with ourselves and loyal to our martyrs, we must ask what we have truly offered them — and whether it measures up to their sacrifices. Or have we, once blessed again with security and stability, simply forgotten them?

Who among us asks about the families of these martyrs and how they live? Who supports their children, and what future awaits them? What is our role? And who now bears the responsibility of caring for them today and tomorrow?

Now that Eid has arrived, what shall we offer them? I have four proposals which I hope will find receptive ears among the people, the government, and the army:

• I call upon the people to make this Eid al-Adha prayer a day dedicated to their memory, where their names are honored and elevated. Let us carry their photographs on our chests in the prayer grounds. Surely every neighborhood has a martyr; let us remember him, pray for him, and honor his family through collective visits.
• Let every neighborhood rise to its responsibility by identifying the needs of martyrs’ families quietly and with dignity, relieving their hardship before they are forced to ask. Bring gifts to their children, and remind them of the heroism and courage of their fathers, whose virtue extends from the neighborhood to all corners of Sudan.

3

This Eid is an opportunity for the government to demonstrate to the martyrs’ families and to the people that it is worthy of loyalty to the nation’s martyrs. We hope Prime Minister Kamil Idris and the governors will revive the memory of the martyrs across the capital and the regions by visiting their graves, praying for them, and touring selected neighborhoods that sacrificed many martyrs, as well as some of the martyrs’ homes as a symbolic gesture they richly deserve.

Surely a prime minister who frequents markets and public squares will remain loyal to those whose sacrifices made his position and movements possible. The government could declare this first Eid after the return to Khartoum as a “Holiday for the Martyrs,” decorating the main streets with words of tribute and calling on the public to visit sites where decisive battles took place and where the greatest number of martyrs fell, such as the General Command and Sarkab.

4

I call upon the army leadership to hold honor parades in all military units and mobile forces to commemorate the martyrs and recall their virtues in loyalty to their brothers-in-arms. Nothing is harsher than comrades in the trenches forgetting one another.

I also call upon President Al-Burhan to dedicate much of his Eid address to highlighting the sacrifices made by the thousands of martyrs in the Battle of Dignity, and to encourage senior officers to celebrate Eid among the graves of the martyrs at the General Command. A foundation stone should also be laid for memorial monuments in the major battle zones, bearing the names of the martyrs.

I further urge army leaders to head on Eid day toward the mobile units stationed in remote areas, in order to raise the morale of fighters in the field and honor both their role and that of their fallen comrades.

5

I hope business leaders, through their union, will move quickly to establish an investment fund named “Martyrs of Dignity,” to be announced during this Eid. I propose that it begin with capital of no less than 100 billion Sudanese pounds. The fund’s investments should generate returns dedicated to the children of the martyrs.

Businessmen now returning to Khartoum and other cities to revive their enterprises and restart their factories understand that none of this would have been possible were it not for the lives sacrificed to make it happen. True, many businesspeople lost much of their wealth, and some even went bankrupt. Yet others gave their very lives so those factories could operate again. Repaying this debt of gratitude is an act worthy of both the businessmen and the martyrs.

How admirable it would be if they imposed a voluntary levy on every product, with its proceeds going annually to this investment fund.

6

Communities abroad must also move swiftly to dedicate one day of Eid prayers to the martyrs, while organizing seminars and exhibitions to honor their memory. In the future, they should also examine their duty toward caring for martyrs’ families by establishing an independent body outside the state framework to support the orphans of the martyrs in all essential matters.

I propose that every expatriate contribute just fifty dollars annually to the Martyrs’ Fund. Let them remember that there are those who preserved for them a homeland to which they may one day return.

O Allah, grant safety to our homeland.

7

I call upon the Ministry of Health and the relevant medical authorities to commit to providing comprehensive, free healthcare for the families of martyrs and for those wounded in battle. A “Medical Loyalty Card” should be issued to guarantee them priority access to treatment, surgeries, and rehabilitation free of charge in all government medical institutions, while private hospitals should be contracted to provide services without cost, in recognition of those who sacrificed their lives and bodies for the homeland.

8

I call upon my friend, Minister of Information Khalid Al-Aiser, to direct his institutions to dedicate significant airtime during Eid to the martyrs through documentary programs highlighting their sacrifices, programs featuring their families, and children’s programs hosting their sons and daughters in their homes.

9

The Cultural and Educational Role in Preserving Memory

I call upon cultural and educational institutions to activate their role in preserving this eternal memory by adopting programs that reinforce the remembrance of the martyrs of the Battle of Dignity.

I propose that the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information and Culture, and the relevant authorities adopt a program that includes the following:

• Documenting the stories of the martyrs: Launching a comprehensive national initiative to document the stories and heroism of the martyrs and incorporate them into educational curricula, ensuring their sacrifices remain engraved in the memory of future generations.
• Permanent exhibitions: Allocating spaces in museums and national libraries for permanent exhibitions dedicated to the heroism of the Battle of Dignity.
• Memorial arts: Commissioning artists and sculptors to create artistic works and memorial statues in public squares to immortalize their names and deeds.

I also urge the Ministry of Education to issue a decision making all educational stages free for the children of martyrs. I hope private universities will follow suit by allocating a percentage of their annual admissions to martyrs’ children free of charge. Hundreds of students from these universities abandoned their studies and rushed to defend their homeland; therefore, their institutions should rise to the level of their students’ sacrifices.

10

When the pages of this blessed Eid are folded away and the echoes of takbir and praise fade, tomorrow will arrive bearing the burden of institutional responsibility to repair the neglect suffered by the families of the martyrs. That is the long conversation of the future.

Loyalty to the martyrs is not merely words spoken on Eid day; it is a way of life and a societal culture. Every time we honor their families and children, we honor ourselves and our homeland, while awakening within future generations the values of sacrifice and redemption.

But on this day, no voice should rise above the voice of sincere loyalty and tribute to “those more noble than all of us.” In every step we take upon this land, and in every breath of security we inhale, there is living testimony that their sacrifices were the immense price paid for our triumphant return.

Because of them — and by the grace of God — we have returned to walk upon the soil of our homeland without constantly looking over our shoulders in fear of being questioned about our identity or residence permits. We stride proudly across its land with heads held high, singing, “I find happiness in you, my homeland,” chanting and celebrating freely, doing as we please in our own country.

O Allah, have mercy upon our martyrs and grant them paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth.