Muslim musings on Christmas

(This piece is partly culled from an earlier article.)

The Philippines was agog with festivities Monday as Christian Filipinos celebrated the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Even the dark clouds of turmoil hovering over the Middle East and Ukraine did not dampen the celebratory mood. Filipinos display glittering lanterns in their homes, crowded malls sparkle with neon lights and the airwaves echo with noels.

It is traditionally a season of joy for many except for a section of society of a different sect — the ultraconservative Muslims, especially disciples of the Salafi-Wahabbi school.

The jury is still out on the issue of whether Muslims could participate in the celebration of Christmas without being sacrilegious.

In fact, I had written past articles on this question and had drawn flak, some vitriolic from rabid devotees for my alleged irreverent and blasphemous, if not apostate, ideas.

I have described the unease and disquiet of Muslim students being invited to a Christmas party, exchanging gifts and listening to carols by their classmates and friends. The office Christmas party is also on the borderline of apostasy.

In the extreme, if you belt out or even hum a Christmas noel which praises Jesus Christ, are you committing a sin? What are the parameters?

I wrote of many other predicaments confronting minority Muslims living in a Christian environment. Not a few harangued me for my articles, but I took it as part of the territory of an opinion writer.

My legal orientation preponderates over my position on the issue.

I have always maintained that the culpability of a person is dependent largely upon his intention.

The general legal precept (with a few exceptions, like a felony resulting from culpa or negligence) that says, "There is no crime where there is no intention to commit it (mens rea)," weighed in very much on my position. We call intention among Maranaos "ni-at" and among Arabs "nia."

Thus, if Muslims join in celebrating Christmas treating it as a religious event, then it could be sacrilegious, even if they revered Jesus as a Prophet (not a Son of God) whom they call Nabiyyulah Isah. But if one considers it a social event and an occasion to foster camaraderie and harmonious relations with the rest of the community, then I thought it may be permissible.

That was my stand which has not changed to this day.

But who will determine one's intention? That is between one and his Creator who is All-Knowing.

Readers, there is a fatwa or religious edict issued by Muslim clerics that prohibits Muslims from participating or observing religious activities of non-Muslims, like Christians.

This was interpreted by the strict Salafi-Wahhabi Islam as a total ban on Muslims observing memorable days like Christmas, New Year's Day and birthdays.

But modern-day tolerant and reformist Muslims interpret the ban loosely and claim that, if at all, they will be committing a bida'a, a venial, and not a mortal sin. The problem, however, is there are clerics whose minds are closed to reasonable logical explanations. They see white as white and black as black and nothing is gray or another hue in between.

Incidentally, conservative societies like Saudi Arabia, the de facto capital of the Islamic world, are undergoing radical if not systemic social and cultural transformation.

Since the assumption to power of Crown Prince Mohamad Bin Salman, he has waged much-needed sweeping reforms, like allowing women to drive cars, allowing public cinemas, etc., which were unthinkable before. I am told that in the capital city of Riyadh, they now allow shopping malls to display Christmas décor which was unthinkable before.

The reforms are being undertaken without compromising core Islamic values.

This augurs a glimmer of hope for relaxing unreasonable edicts imposed by conservative Muslim clerics to give way to progress and world peace.

In sum, when asked whether I celebrate Christmas or not, my default answer is no, simply because I am a Muslim.

But as a typical lawyer who never runs out of logic even if vacuous, I always qualify my answer, which confuses some friends.

Meanwhile, fatwa or no fatwa, I will be joining year-end (not Christmas) golf tournaments.

amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com