Sidi Ifni, Morocco – Every year, on December 25th, people, in Christian majority countries across the globe celebrate Christmas. Among the common greetings among these people is “Merry Christmas.”
Yet, this does not mean that other parts of the world do not celebrate it or at least give it the importance it traditionally deserves. On the other hand, since the celebration focuses on the secular aspects of Jesus (PBUH), some conservative Muslims frown upon the act of celebrating Christmas, arguing that is a sort of “Bid3a”, a fad that has not been taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
People of today, including Muslims, however, do not have this attitude. On the contrary, Christmas is an occasion for them to greet their Christian friends. While some Moroccans see it as a way of showing tolerance, other Moroccans believe otherwise, saying that Christmas does not represent Moroccan Islamic culture and celebrating it is synonymous with blindly adopting others’ lifestyles and cultural aspects.
In the same vein, other Moroccans go on to wonder why they do not celebrate this well-deserved holiday, given that it builds more friendship and consolidates ties. One of the much-cherished characteristics of Christmas is that people celebrating it exchange wishes, gifts, and keepsakes.
In response to conservative Muslims, some Moroccans explain that romance which Moroccan culture nowadays lacks is a seminal feature of Christmas. At Christmas, Americans and British people express their love to their soul-mates, while we Moroccans underestimate the value of love in our human relations.
A number of Muslim scholars decree that we Muslims must not go astray by imitating Christians with regard to their celebrations. Hence, many Moroccans do not celebrate it, particularly because of the secular nature of the celebration and its allusion to the Nativity of Jesus.
Some other Moroccans, the intelligentsia in particular, believe that as long as Americans wishes us Happy Eid Al Adha or Ramadan, it is incumbent on us to give our own sincere greetings and wish them “Merry Christmas” in return.
In Islam, Muslims are not allowed to wish “Merry Christmas.” But, some Moroccan Muslims believe that as a way of evincing our understanding of others’ cultures, there is no harm in sharing with Americans or the British their happiness.
What is totally disapproved among Moroccans is blind emulation by today’s Moroccan youth who celebrate Christmas without having the slightest idea of what it is about. It is also a pity that some Moroccan youth are more enthusiastic about Western celebrations than about their own.
In fact, Moroccans are still divided over celebrating Christmas. Frowning upon the adoption of others’ lifestyles while forgetting one’s own is their common denominator. At this point, I believe that Moroccans have properly extended their arms to others’ culture, especially that most Christians will not say no to uttering and reciprocating with a “Merry Christmas”.
On this occasion, as a Moroccan Muslim, instead of offering you a gift, I think it would simply suffice to wish you all a “Happy Christmas.”
