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Hisham Al Jundi
Doha
Qatar marks its National Day today in a sombre mood set off by the humanitarian situation in Aleppo and Syria at large.
The Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani's decision to cancel all celebratory events and all manifestations of joy on the National Day has been welcomed by the citizens.
Despite the huge cost of preparations for the celebratory activities, Qatar wanted to send a message to the international community and draw attention to the massacre of civilians and suffering of people in Syria, especially in the city of Aleppo.
Talking to Qatar Tribune, citizens expressed their support for the decision to cancel all merriments that usually go with National Day celebrations.
They described the move as a way to show sympathy to the victims of massacre in Aleppo. Ali al Khater, a citizen, said,"I can't express in words my feelings towards my brothers and sisters in Syria. What they are going through is unbearable and we are deeply sorry for them. I wish we could help them more."
"We strongly support the decision of cancelling the celebrations. This proves our humanitarian concern as a nation. Others may only pray for the Syrians, but we have taken it a step forward and we hope Allah the Almighty will bless for this effort," he added.
Nour, a mother of three children, expressed her condolences and sorrow tothe suffering of Syrians."This is the least we can do in solidarity with the Syrians. We are watching what is happening with deep shock and sorrow. I can imagine what the Syrian mothers whose children are being killed in front of them must be going through. It is really disgusting and shocking. We wish we could do more for them," she said.
"We see HH the Emir's decision as very humane. It echoes our sense of compassion for the suffering people. This decision represents us,"she added.
Others were in fact waiting for such a decision. Amneh al Suleity told Qatar Tribune,"I was watching the preparations for our National Day celebrations with pain."
Commenting on the financial loss due to the cancellation of the celebrations, she added,"Costs don't matter. I decided to donate all the money I was planning to spend on the National Day celebrations to the fund for the Syrian refugees. We ask Allah the Almighty to accept this from us and bring an end to the suffering of our Syrian brothers and sisters."
