Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
2006
Recently, the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu strongly criticised what he dubbed as a “systematic erosion” of Christian values in Britain. Among the examples he used to justify his claim was government officers using “Season’s Greetings” instead of “Merry Christmas” cards; the failure of Royal Mail to display Jesus in this year’s Christmas stamps and the “rebranding” of Christmas into “Winterval” in Birmingham.
This is particularly interesting in light of our own recent “DeepaRaya” debate, and is a pertinent issue to discuss due to the multifaith and multiracial fabric of Malaysia.
Some may choose to see this in a straightforward manner: we’re living in an agnostic age, with multiracial societies. A regressive mentality of confining festivals to its religious adherents smacks of illiberalism, if not outright bigotry. Festivities should be a celebration of diversity.
I respectfully beg to differ. Religious festivities, well, as the name suggests, have religious roots. One may reflect on the common elements of celebration and thanksgiving across all festivities, but this ignores the unique religious background to the different celebrations from different creeds. Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid-ul Fitr) to mark the end of Ramadan. Hari Raya Aidiladha (Eid-ul Adha) on the other hand is to remember Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, the Prophet Ishmael and when millions of Muslims across the globe perform the Haj in Mecca.
But the spiritual significance of these festivals – as of many other celebrations from other religions – is now eroded in the onslaught of modernity and crass commercialisation. Some Muslims think more of good food, new clothes and furnishings (or even new wives!) while the young automatically think of the amount of ang pows they will collect. Many Christians lament that Christmas (even when it continues to be called by the name) is now more about Christmas gifts then about celebrating the birth of Jesus.
In light of the Takaful e-mail condemning greeting other religious adherents on their festivities – which was not an officially-sanctioned fatwa – we must note that there is a diversity of opinion among Muslim scholars on the matter. Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria and the European Council for Fatwa and Research – for example – believe that congratulating non-Muslims on their festive days is permissible. There is nothing wrong in visiting non-Muslims as a sign of respect and friendship – festive seasons or not.
But mainstream Muslims, and I believe adherents of other religions too, should be wary of mixing between religious festivities and putting different religious festivities on the same pedestal. ‘DeepaRaya’, just like the Christmas sale, are popularised by retail outlets seeking to maximise their profits during the festive season. An Australian newspaper characterised it as Santa vs. Jesus. Ultimately different religions are about different value systems, and most crucially, different beliefs.
Tauhid, or the oneness of God is a central pillar of Islam. Indeed, the point when one is considered a Muslim is when one bears witness to the oneness of God, and that Muhammad is His Prophet. The promotion of monotheism as opposed to polytheism was central to the struggle of the Prophet, and the preservation of monotheism remains crucial to Islam. The concern is that once we put different celebrations on the same pedestal, this monotheism is compromised. In this age of commercialised festivities and Hallmark holidays this may seem trivial, but essentially is at the core of celebrating these festivities in the first place.
Two of my three years in London was spent in a home occupied by two practising Muslims, a practising Christian and a practising Hindu. We debated the differences between our religions, and while we noted universal themes common to our different faiths, we agreed to disagree on matters of creed – just as we did in our debates on politics and football.
That I believe is the true lesson to be learnt here. Certainly there is much for all Malaysians to learn to live better amidst our multiracial and multifaith society. I have consistently called for new policies and perspectives to move forward from the legacy of our divided society and race-based politics. There is a need to improve the implementation of our constitutional consensus. Malaysians must show a stronger commitment to engage in dialogue. But this does not mean that we should stop respecting the rights of different religions’ adherents to live and worship according to the teachings of their religions.Ê
When Caliph Umar – one of the Righteously Guided Caliphs – conquered Jerusalem from the Byzantines in the year 637, he was cordially received by Sophronius, the Patriarch of the Holy City. Sophronius invited Umar to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Umar declined, telling Sophronius, “If I do so then the Muslims one day might use this as an excuse to take away the Church from you.”
That example of tolerance, yet ultimately respecting the differences of the different creeds – is what Malaysians should be focusing on. Let’s move our discourse on promoting tolerance beyond being fixated in the needless semantics of “DeepaRaya”.
Going back to Britain – it’s interesting to note that British Muslims have been at the forefront criticising the effort to remove Christianity from Christmas!
