Celebrating Easter

Reha · April 26, 2011, 5:22pm

Re: Celebrating Easter

UK Ambassador - didn’t press for judges’ restoration - 'clock cannot be turned back'

It isn’t so much as double standards as a lack of awareness. Traditions like Mehndi etc have been part of the culture for so long that most people don’t realise they are Hindu based traditons, and even if they do they don’t want to let go because, let’s face it, it is all the wedding culture we have. People simply don’t want to sit in a masjid, sign the nikah and go home.

The problem most people have with Christmas and Easter is that they are by definition religious holidays of another religion (like we have Eid), so that has never been part of the culture here as it is seen as a strictly Christian thing. They are defining characteristics of Christianity. We don’t celebrate Holi or Diwali or Hanakkah for the same reasons, these are distinct religious holidays. When something has never been practiced in your family, why would you, as a Muslim, want to go out of the way to be part of their celebrations?

It is a double standard. People know where they came from and where these customs came from…yet they choose to ignore. People know where Basant came from YET they go out of their way to celebrate it in Pakistan. They want to celebrate a Hindu holiday but still hate the entire country. Why? What does that say about us? What about Mother’s Day? Valentine’s Day? Heck, what about birthdays?! Pakistanis even have their own version of godh bharai, did you know that? Aap karo to sahi aur hum karein to ghalat.

Riz, this entire debate has - at the core - nothing to do with religion at all. Because IF our primary concern was to teach our children religion then we wouldnt teach them half the things we do about Pakistani culture. It is what it is. It has more to do with the big bad white man and imitating them will send us to Jahannum. Makes me wonder how on earth we manage to lift our fingers when they’re so burdened with other things?

No one goes out of their way to celebrate anyone’s traditions by the way. If it happens at school or work, what is the issue with it?