CHRISTMAS TIME - WILL YOU BE GOING TO THE PARTY?
December 04, 2003 www.1924.org
http://www.1924.org/magazine/index.php?id=859_0_6_0_C
The school term is coming to a close. The atmosphere lifts as the daily drudgery of school life gives way to the festive season. The jingle of bells and colourful decoration transform the usual drab school corridors. The sound of feet on hard wooden floors gives way to joyous laughter and the humming of Christmas carols. The festive season supposedly heralds a period of goodwill and an end to hostilities and conflict.
However it is not so joyous for all, especially for the Muslim pupil. Like all the other kids he has received plentiful cards from his friends wishing him a ‘Merry Christmas’, which he promptly files away in the bin. As in previous years he is also invited to the annual school Christmas party. Last year he couldn’t go because he had an urgent appointment at the dentist, or so he told his friends. So what does he do this year? He can’t use the dentist excuse again. Does he grab his heart and fake a heart attack? Does he grit his teeth and just go to keep the peace?
This is a dilemma faced by Muslims in all walks of life, from the student at school, to the person in the office. As the season of goodwill arrives so too do the anxiety levels for some Muslims. Emails and greetings received can cause confusion in not knowing how to reply without sounding disrespectful. The invitation ‘Hey Ahmad, are you coming to the party’ causes discomfort. The Muslim acknowledges the invite with an uncomfortable smile and a mumbled excuse that the questioner cannot make out and assumes he said ‘yes’…in Punjabi. Calls on the mobiles from non-Muslim friends are conveniently diverted to voicemail. So what does the poor beleaguered Muslim do?
Many of us can relate to this to some degree. At best, Christmas is a time of discomfort with the thought of going through the annual chore of explaining why you will not be attending the school nativity play or in explaining to Tracey from the accounts department that you will definitely not be seeing her at the staff party! At the other extreme many Mus