Reflections on Christmas, Islam , Baha'is, Buddhists etc 'Tis the season to be jihadi The following essay appears on the website, Izharuddin.com. How "official" this site is cannot be determined at this time but does seem "typical" of Muslim attitudes toward the observance of Christmas. Today's Jihad Watch features this essay, making the comment, which deserves emphasis, that while Muslims regard non-Abrahamic religions as abominations, and although for-public-consumption statements often emphasize spiritual kinship with followers of other Abrahamic religions , in actual practice Muslims regard Christians and Jews as inferiors and their religious customs as evil and odious. In other words, Jews and Christians who attribute their feelings of toleration and acceptance toward other faiths AS IF most Muslims shared such feelings, are dupes. There is little or no reciprocity. And it can be assumed that exceptions exist almost exclusively in communities where Islam is less than 1 % of the population. As soon as critical mass in numbers has been achieved the pretense vanishes --because, among Muslims, it has always been the fact that Christmas is seen as an "infidel" tradition, something unclean and reprehensible.. This squares with my experiences in the 13 years when I was a member of the Baha'i Faith, which, of course, is derived from Islam. Not that Baha'is do not, in fact, have positive feelings toward people in other religions, indeed, for those religions per se. Au contraire, the original reason I was drawn to the study of Comparative Religion was precisely because of Baha'i valorization of other faiths. The value of other faiths, at least as Baha'is interpret other religions, is constantly stressed. But unsaid by one and all is a carry-over attitude from the Islamic legacy of the Baha'i Faith. In all cases, whether Hindu or Buddhist or Jewish or anything else, the official position of Baha'is is that the observances of other religions should NOT be part of Baha'i life. This includes Christmas. One of the reasons why I eventually abandoned the Baha'i religion was because of its indifference to Christmas and, indeed, its opposition to Christmas customs. While this opposition is fairly benign, not at all similar to Muslim hostility, nonetheless it is real and cannot be missed. Baha'is are told NOT to observe Christmas customs. Many Baha'is do so anyway, as you might guess. And I was one of that number, for no way did I have any intention of forsaking Christmas. Indeed, as my studies of Comparative Religion progressed, I thought it was a good idea , when practical, to ADD religious sacred holiday observances to my yearly calendar. Not that I did all that much with this idea, but it was a principle of mine in the 1960s and remains a principle in the 21st century. But here is the Muslim view, all the while demanding that others add THEIR Ramadan and Eid practices to public observances --all in the name of diversity, harmony among "people of the Book," and peace. The operative term for anyone who takes Muslims at their word is "dupe," of if you prefer more technical vocabulary, "simple-minded fool." Make no mistake about it, unless, perchance, you talk with a fairly recent convert who still harbors some feelings for Christmas, what Muslims actually think of the holiday is spelled out in detail in the following essay. But don't take my word, just ask a Muslim his or her opinion of Christmas. In America where Muslims are a small fraction of the population, the reply will almost assuredly be polite and civil, and made to sound innocuous, but there will be no doubt about it, they disdain the custom and regard Christmas as essentially evil. In contrast, at least in the United States, Channukah has been effectively added to the seasonal calendar as "Jewish Christmas," and in some communities such holidays as O-Bon and Diwali. Also in contrast, in Buddhist Japan, Christmas has been added to the cycle of holidays as a positive good, replete with Christmas trees and carols. Namu Amida Butsu, Billy Rojas Christmas: The Path To Hellfire In the world today many Muslims, especially those residing in Western countries are exposed to the evil celebration, Christmas. Many take part in the festive celebrations by exchanging cards, gifts, decorating homes, having Christmas turkey dinners & congratulating one another for the coming of season etc. For many the practice is viewed as harmless amusement & pleasure for young & old. The build up to Christmas is aggressively promoted; businesses deploy every possible tactic to captivate the masses in every spectrum of society, in shopping centres, high streets, television, radio, magazine & newspapers. Even though Christmas has been taken hostage by Capitalist to increase business revenues, many still practice this corrupt celebration as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus, who is considered as 'the incarnation of God' second third of the trinity, hence it is a celebration of the birth of divinity. Though the date 25th December is taken by Christians as the birth of Jesus, the origins of this date can be linked to the birthday of the Hindu god Khrishna, & the Greek god of light, Mithra. This evil celebration is from many angles of origin is a deeply rooted practice of Shirk (worshipping along with the Creator [i.e. Allah], a crime which Allah will never forgive. "Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, & whoever sets up partners with Allâh in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin" [4:48] How can a Muslim possibly approve or participate in such a practice that bases itself on the notion that Allah has an offspring? Allah (swt) said, "Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, 'Be' & it is" [19:34-35] If the prophet of Allah, Jesus (Isa the son of Maryum, peace be upon him) was to return now, he would never tolerate such accusations being levied against him. Rather when he was born his first proclamation was clarifying his status as slave & messenger of Allah & nothing more. He (Jesus) said: 'Verily! I am a slave of God; He has given me the Scripture & made me a Prophet; "[19:29-30] The very concept of Christmas contradicts & conflicts with the foundation of Islam, & that is the testimony of faith, "La Ilaha Ila Allah - None has the right to be worshipped but Allah". Any person with basic knowledge of Islam could never accept or tolerate such a false accusation against Allah. Allah is free from having any offspring or being an offspring, for He (swt) said, "Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, & there is nothing comparable to Him!" [112:1-4] Even though this practice is heavily glamorised & practiced by the majority, it is paramount for every worshipper of Allah to avoid following the masses in this evil celebration, Allah (swt) said, "If you obey most of those upon the earth, they will lead you away from the way of Allaah." [6:116] It is the ruling of Allah & His Messenger, that those who imitate anyone in dress, manner, behaviour, speech or even celebration becomes part of that community, for the messenger of Allah (swt) said, "Whoever imamates a group of people he is one of them". [Reported in Abu Dawood] Every Muslim has a responsibility to protect his family from the misguidance of Christmas, because its observance will lead to hellfire (a punishment which is seventy times hotter than the fires of this world). "O you who believe! save yourselves & your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men & stones.." [66:6] Know dear Muslim, to offer Christmas cards, attend any Christmas events, to congratulate others (i.e. by saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" etc), Decorating the house, purchasing Christmas trees, or having Christmas turkey meals are completely prohibited by Allah. Protect your Paradise from being taken away from you & your family; protect yourself & your family from Christmas.
-- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
