Mohammed Khaku
In this season the Christians are called upon to “give thanks”, the Psalmist says, “O give thanks unto the Lord.” And so do Muslims daily in their five daily prayers. We are fast approaching the Christmas season and by the time you read this blog, social media will be devoted to the commercial side of Christmas. However, children in Palestine will not receive any toys or presents but will be praying “Oh my Lord! when will this bombing stop.” The post-Christmas activity will find many Americans realizing that much of the glitter and the glamour of the pre-Christmas is devoted to overspending, indulging in debt and consumerism. The man who suggested the slogan, “Let’s have Christmas the whole year through,” certainly got his answer in the “credit card debt or twelve-monthly easy payment plan.” Zionist Christians have long been desecrating Christian faith by falsely supporting the apartheid, racist, occupier of the holy land of Palestine. Racism and apartheid are intrinsic to the Zionist doctrine. Without the forcible expulsion of Palestinians, Israel could not have existed as it is today. Zionism cannot produce a just peace. Children of all faiths certainly should have toys, have a roof over their head, hot food, clean drinking water, and warm clothing! But this is not the case in Gaza. The cities in the Holy land will not celebrate Christmas. The Manger Square tree in Bethlehem will not be decorated, nor any lights will be lit. All the decorations related to Christmas are coming down in solidarity with the suffering in Gaza due to the Israel onslaught on Gaza. The Christmas holiday is here with colorful lights, joyful carols, and many congregations (churches) will be embarking on the reenactment of a pilgrimage from the Church of the Nativity – Nazareth to Bethlehem in the holy land. In Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania during the 10-mile walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Christians and Muslims join the walk to seek to reflect the non-violent life of Jesus Christ and his truth of forgiving love. Las Posadas commemorates the journey reenacting Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge, awaiting the birth of baby Jesus. It is well known, particularly in this holiday season, that Christians follow the teaching of Jesus. What is less well understood is that Muslims also love and revere Jesus as one of God’s greatest messengers to humanity. The personality of Jesus plays a significant role in Islam. Muslims believe that God delivered the Gospel — Injeel to Jesus, just as he did Ta’wrat with Moses and the Old Testament (Zabur) to David and the Quran to Prophet Muhammad. It is critical for Muslims and non-Muslims to understand that a person is not considered a Muslim unless he or she believes in Jesus, and Islam is the only religion that testifies to Christianity.Islam also assigns a remarkably high degree of respect to the mother of Jesus, Mary (Mariam). There is an exclusive chapter in the Koran on the mother of Jesus by the name of ”Sura-e-Mariam.” The life of Jesus Christ is a momentous event for Christians and non-Christians alike. Jesus Christ’s birthday is a signpost, and of all the great people born through the ages, imagine that Jesus is so important that his life divides time between B.C. and A.D.Both Muslims and Christians can learn a lot from Christmas. This annual celebration is the victory of paganism over the religion of Jesus, and no one disputes that many of its symbols came from the pagan religions rather than the birth or teaching of Jesus Christ. The incorporation of these pagan rituals with Christianity has taken a toll by corrupting the original Christian principles of spirituality, simplicity, humbleness, kindness, and generosity. Christmas is an impressive time of year, but the irony is that Prophet Jesus and his teaching are becoming increasingly absent from the celebrations. However, there is a positive side of Christmas becoming increasingly secular. It is impressive that Christmas brings some of the greatest truths of the gospel to light. If it were not for the Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays, family relationships would be worse than they are. In fact, these are the only times that many families try to mend broken relationships. In the fight to separate religion from schools and government, the Christmas celebration is a great victory to bring back spirituality to one’s life. I take pleasure in seeing the Gospel of Jesus displayed in public places. It is a shame to see that ‘Merry Christmas” has given way to ‘Happy Holidays” or ‘Seasons Greetings.” The blame lies with commercialism, rather than with militant Islam. Denying the Christianity in Christmas celebrations helps no one. We Muslims welcome having more of a Christian content, because at present it is more of a shopping festival. Muslims do celebrate Christmas in our own way, by celebrating our love to this blessed baby and Messiah. As the forces of hate in this country try to pull Muslims and Christians apart, we are in desperate need of a unifying force. That force could be the message of love, peace and forgiveness taught by Jesus and accepted by followers of both faiths. I think of a quotation: ”Jesus, Son of Mary, said: ‘The World is a bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He, who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity: but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayers, for the rest is unseen.’ ” The above Persian calligraphy is arched and encrypted at the entrance of the greatest piece of Muslim architecture, the mosque built by Emperor Akbar, at Fatehpur Sikri, a few miles to the west of Agra, in northern India. Why is this Christian quotation given a center stage in a Muslim monument, and why would a Muslim emperor want to place such a phrase over the entrance to the main Mosques in his capital city? This saying was circulated around the Muslim world, from Spain to China. The Quran calls Christians the ”nearest in Love” and instructs Muslims to ”dispute not with the people of the book that is, the Jews and Christians.” The relationships between Islam and Christianity are complex and intricately woven. There were never any conversions by swords, a myth much propagated in anti-Islamic literature. The American Muslim community stands ready to honor the legacy of building bridges of interfaith understanding and challenging those who would divide our nation along religious or ethnic lines. As Christmas approaches, I must ask, why is Jesus Christ’s birth celebrated around the world, particularly in America, and yet his message of peace, justice, and love is so silently ignored. Will the Military Industrial Complex continue to grow? Will persecutions, greed, exploitation, oppression, and injustice carry us into another year with a most un-Christ like persistence? As Martin Luther King said” Bigots are speaking up now and all too many good people remain silent…the appalling silence of the good people is as serious as the vitriolic words of the bad people.” Grace and peace to you all! Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!