Muslims & Christmas

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Anyone?

[jpaula 20]

Anyone?

Will you take a response from a Jew and a Muslim? We are in Morocco for the next few weeks where we get to ignore Christmas and slaughter a sheep for Eid.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Yes, thanks for your response. I and several of my family do the same; retreating the the ME this time of the year to escape the seasonal frenzy. I may be there soon myself!

[Together4ever 1]

I've always kind of avoided the crass Christmas commercialsim and hub bub. I'm a believer if you can't worry about peace on earth and good will toward your fellow human all year long, its kind of hypocritical to get all up in it for a holiday celebration. But on the flip side (being a hypocrit myself sometimes) I enjoy the sentiment of caring more prevalent now then other times.

[mybackpages 0]

Has anyone ever heard of this?

http://www.muslimchristmas.com/index.html

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I dont' go for the nonsense that Christmas is a "secular" hoilday. The term CHRIST in the word gives it away. Muslim Christmas is a means of secularizing Muslims, not Christmas.

Edited December 16, 2006 by szsz

[mybackpages 0]

Has anyone ever heard of this?

http://www.muslimchristmas.com/index.html

by the way, Movies and Chinese Food was also called the "jewish christmas"...so not sure that this is an original idea.

[peezey 0]

For whatever it's worth, I normally say/write "xmas" to avoid the Christ portion. I've become less and less of a fan as the years go by. We do secular xmas in my family which = eating and gifts and out of town family coming home. I have finally convinced my mother to forgo gift giving. Other than that, I don't mind seeing my neighbors' lights, but that's pretty much it. Oh, my husband isn't happy with the plan to end gift giving. This is pretty much the greatest invention of the western world, in his opinion.

[mercy 1]

For whatever it's worth, I normally say/write "xmas" to avoid the Christ portion. I've become less and less of a fan as the years go by. We do secular xmas in my family which = eating and gifts and out of town family coming home. I have finally convinced my mother to forgo gift giving. Other than that, I don't mind seeing my neighbors' lights, but that's pretty much it. Oh, my husband isn't happy with the plan to end gift giving. This is pretty much the greatest invention of the western world, in his opinion.

The X, when used in xmas or Xian, is an abbreviation for Christ.

[peezey 0]

For whatever it's worth, I normally say/write "xmas" to avoid the Christ portion. I've become less and less of a fan as the years go by. We do secular xmas in my family which = eating and gifts and out of town family coming home. I have finally convinced my mother to forgo gift giving. Other than that, I don't mind seeing my neighbors' lights, but that's pretty much it. Oh, my husband isn't happy with the plan to end gift giving. This is pretty much the greatest invention of the western world, in his opinion.

The X, when used in xmas or Xian, is an abbreviation for Christ.

I'm not unaware of this, I am commenting that I do not use the word Christ. Just yesterday after an FDA meeting I said Merry Fraudmas. None of it matters to me.

[melly 0]

Isn't trying to find a way to celebrate something on the same day that everyone celebrates Christmas kind of.... um... hmmm, what's the word I'm looking for....

Well, in any case it seems like you might as well celebrate Christmas if you're just trying to celebrate something because you feel left out.

This year (my first non-Christmas) I'm just enjoying how happy everyone is around me and remembering my past with fondness but realizing that I don't need to (shouldn't) participate and that I'm fine with that.

I thought I would miss Christmas but I find instead that I feel much less rushed and harried and am enjoying not having to worry about the typical Christmas things that need to get done in what seems like never enough time.

My only issue is that I am going up to visit the parents with my son, as they invited us up, and I don't particularly want to attend their Christmas eve service at their church. They go to Unity church so it's not like regular ones but it's still not something I'm comfortable with. I'm just not sure how to deal with that yet.

So to answer the question, I don't think I'm avoiding it so much as just letting it happen around me without participating. I hate shopping malls to begin with and I can decorate my house any time of year without needing a celebration. I have a nice clear string of lights that hangs in my kitchen all year round which provides a nice soft glow that I enjoy much better than the regular lights late at night.

[Donna A 4]

my best friend is a muslim and she celebrates christmas. my husband is muslim and celebrates it because i do but it means nothing religious to him. he just goes with the flow.

[peezey 0]

My only issue is that I am going up to visit the parents with my son, as they invited us up, and I don't particularly want to attend their Christmas eve service at their church. They go to Unity church so it's not like regular ones but it's still not something I'm comfortable with. I'm just not sure how to deal with that yet.

Why would you have to go at all? My mother goes to mass alone on Christmas Eve because she is the only religious person in the family. My bros and I cook while she's gone, and the fondue (our xmas eve dinner tradition) is ready when she gets back. My dad plays with the dogs and sleeps in the chair. My husband tries to find tennis or soccer on TV.

Anyway, I'm just saying I'd be furious were I expected to participate in something religious that made me uncomfortable. And I am someone who will do things I don't care for just because it makes my mom happy.....but not church.

ETA: my mom likes to say grace before eating, and so she does that with her two friends at the table, then the rest of us come in after. It might seem weird not to just go along, but she has her beliefs and we have ours.

Edited December 16, 2006 by peezey

[Sofiyya 1,687]

One reason why I'm asking is that this is the first year that I've been doing a lot of work with regional Chambers of Commerce. Several have asked me to participate in setting up events that allow for sales opportunities (I don't mind that). When I got to one recently, they were building a creshe and asked me to join in communal prayers to kick off the set up.

While I respect everyone's right to worship as they please, and I even prefer remembrances of Jesus at this time instead of crass commercialism, I'm not sure where to draw the line re participation in holiday activities that involve clients and business partnerships. Naively, I expected business events to be crassly commerical, but now I'm finding them to be more religious in nature than represented to me. I said I would participate out of respect for my associates, but now, I'm procrastinating and don't know how to deal with my wish to withdraw, since these are business relationships. They can be sticky.

Edited December 16, 2006 by szsz

[melly 0]

Well, they haven't mentioned the service yet but they go every year. Dad is in the choir and mom used to be but her throat has been giving her trouble.

It probably won't be a huge issue when I tell them that I don't want to go but mom can be a little heavy with the guilt at times.