Arguably the most celebrated birthday of all time, Christmas marks the moment when millions around the world come together to commemorate the miraculous birth of Jesus. Bringing more stress than joy to parents, the annual holiday celebrated on Dec. 25 is usually spent at home and observed over a meal, which is shared between close friends and family, followed by exchanging presents. Although sometimes hectic, the cheerful gathering is often characterized by a sense of warmth, and togetherness, as well as the exchange of heartfelt sentiments. Sadly, Christmas also marks the return of an age-old debate centered on Muslims who partake in the festivity.
Having developed an aesthetic of its own by blending religious traditions with cultural customs, many suggest that Christmas has, to some extent, lost its pious sense and turned into a secular celebration that can be observed by all types of believers (and non-believers). As a result, a growing phenomenon of holiday commercialization has emerged with the celebration’s focus seemingly shifting towards consumerism and materialism as it has become synonymous with extensive shopping, flashy decorations, and pervasive marketing campaigns.
Today, a growing number of Muslim-identifying individuals see no harm in embracing its hedonistic aspects. In contrast, others may maintain a more cautious stance, expressing concerns about the potential erosion of their own religious values as well as the risks of assimilation. Almost yearly, the conversation pours itself online, with each side using social media to voice their thoughts. In fact, the two opinions can usually be seen arguing in the comment section of Mohammed Salah’s divisive Instagram posts over the holiday season. For the last four years, the Egyptian star striker has been either passionately discredited for his personal choices and relationship to Islam for posing with his family under a Christmas tree or praised for his open-mindedness and inclusive approach. As you can imagine, this year was no exception.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
With Christmas finally upon us, we asked five young Arabs to share their thoughts on Muslims celebrating the much-debated festivity.
Fayrouz, 34 (Lebanon)
Honestly, I don’t mind it. It’s understandable for Muslims who live in the West too, as it’s less religious and more cultural. It’s the same way my Christian friends come out during Eid here in Egypt— no one says “Hey you’re Christian you can’t hang out.” I think it’s much easier to share similarities than it is to focus on differences, especially in times of celebration. Let’s face it, most of us, nowadays, drink anyway— and providing they’re not serving me pork—then I’m in it for the food too! Who doesn’t like gifts and a celebration? Jesus was a prophet after all.
Mustafa, 26 (Sudan)
I believe it should be fine for us Muslims to celebrate Christmas with our fellow Christians because in reality that’s only going to make our society stronger. But what I can’t wrap my head around is when Muslims tend to drift away from celebrating our their Islamic events and start magnifying other occasions that in essence have nothing to do with their culture or religion.
Omar-Sean, 24 (Egypt/Ireland)
As a Muslim Irish-Egyptian who was born and raised in Ireland for 19-years in a Catholic household, I don’t really find it weird to celebrate Christmas as a Muslim. Since it’s close to the new year, people tend to sum both of them together into one big holiday.
What I do find weird is how, here in Egypt, this holiday has turned into a class thing more than a religious thing for Muslims. If you are an ” upper-class” Muslim, you have GOT to celebrate Christmas. But if you’re in the “middle class” or below, you wouldn’t find it common for people to celebrate it.
Malik, 28 (Tunisia)
Ultimately, it’s a matter of “live and let live.” To all those who seem upset when a Muslim gathers for Christmas, who hurt you? I’m sure that the same people throwing shade aren’t exemplary in the other ways they practice their faith themselves, and as a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that hate-speech is haram which means that they’re sinning while pointing at someone else’s alleged sins… Make it make sense. There’s also a certain level of hypocrisy as most people who will be complaining about Muslims celebrating Xmas usually celebrate NYE which, following their logic, should also be condemned.
Either way, I find it easier to simply respect each other’s decisions and enjoy the mix of cultures. If you don’t like seeing it, switch your phone off. If you don’t align value-wise with your mates, maybe consider making others that do.
Sameera, 19 (Iraq)
I see where the criticism stems from and if you really care about whether you’re sinning or not, I’d probably advise against celebrating Christmas although it doesn’t affect me. We should all be free to do whatever we want, but I see how this could irritate some people, especially if someone you look up to seems like he’s on the wrong path (to you). It shouldn’t be as much of a big deal as it is, but I guess that people will eventually wrap their heads around it.
