DHAKA: Sebon Bahar’s fondest memories of Eid Al-Adha is the hug she shared with her mother to mark the occasion. This experience has become distant to her now that she lives on a remote island in Bangladesh.
For the past three years, the Islamic holiday that is synonymous with family gatherings has not felt the same for Bahar after she moved to Bhasan Char.
“My Eid celebration is not complete without this precious hug with my mother… Here on this island, I miss it the most during Eid because my mother lives in Cox’s Bazar,” she told Arab News on Sunday.
“Without my family members, especially my mother… I feel it’s not a special day… I haven’t seen my loved ones who live in Cox’s Bazar for over three years.”
Bahar is among more than 35,000 Rohingya who have been relocated to Bhasan Char since late 2020, as authorities seek to ease pressure on crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, which hosts more than a million refugees who have fled violence and persecution in Myanmar.
Situated in the Bay of Bengal, the island settlement is a few hours away from the mainland by boat.
The fourth Eid Al-Adha on Bhasan Char has failed to ease the sense of isolation of residents, many of whom miss their extended family even more during the Feast of the Offering because leaving the facility is illegal for refugees on the island.
On Eid, Bahar said she calls relatives to try to “feel the special day”, trying to recreate the times when she still lived in Cox’s Bazar, when the holiday meant friends and families visiting each other and gossiping over food together.
While the 30-year-old is grateful for the improvement in her life in Bhasan Char, where there is greater security, access to fresh seafood and good housing, refugees still struggle with a lack of access to quality education, high costs of goods and the inability to leaving the island.
“There is no hope in life on this island and in camp life in Cox’s Bazar. Currently, I live with only one hope, that one day I will be able to return to Burma with citizenship rights,” Bahar said.
Eid celebrations are not the same for Mohammed Abdul Jalil, who is celebrating his third such festival on the island.
“Celebrating Eid without relatives and family members here in Bhasan Char is boring for me,” Jalil told Arab News.
“Yes, we communicate with each other via mobile phones, but a face-to-face chat cannot be compared to two or three minutes of conversation on a mobile phone. Visiting each other is the most special thing we usually practice on Eid.”
He hopes that the day will come soon when he will be able to return to Burma.
“I just want to live on this island until we are repatriated with dignity to our homeland with full rights. As a refugee on this island, I have no other dreams or expectations,” Jalil said.
Despite difficulties and uncertainty, many refugees try to make a festive event like Eid as special as possible.
“My Eid celebrations revolve around the joy of my children and I always try my best to make this day special for my children,” said Monira Begum.
Like Bahar and Jalil, Eid for Begum was also about spending time and sharing food with her extended family – something she had not been able to experience for the past four years in Bhasan Char.
In preparation for Eid Al-Adha, which will be celebrated on Monday in Bangladesh, Begum plans to prepare traditional snacks for her family.
“I have powdered rice grain to make our traditional snack, sweet sticky rice cake. I bought clothes for my children, cosmetics for my daughters, although I am not able to offer a sacrificial animal… This is how I plan to celebrate Eid this year,’ said Begum.