A Very Muslim Christmas
Would having a tree betray our faith?
by Hadeel Masseoud
December 19, 2008
Then I thought back to a conversation I once had with my friend Sarah, who is Jewish. I was telling her how Zain's preschool is very Christian and how Zain talks about Jesus quite frequently and goes to chapel once a week. Her response was, "That's creepy. Those people are brainwashing Zain. How can you keep him in such a school?" Sarah — like Eric and Mohammad — isn't particularly observant, yet she insisted on sending her eldest son, Max, to a Jewish preschool when he turned two.
The conversations I had with Eric, Mohammad and Sarah made me wonder: Am I indeed a sell-out? Do I have a set of principles or am I filled with contradictions? Am I setting my child up for a life of not knowing who he really is or where he comes from? After all, I've already alienated the more conservative members of my community by wearing sleeveless shirts and short skirts.
I quickly realized I wasn't being fair to myself. I couldn't compare my experiences to those of Eric, Mohammad or Sarah. Sarah grew up in Boston in a vibrant Jewish community — as did Eric in Connecticut. Not to mention, they grew up celebrating Hanukah during the holiday season. Mohammad, on the other hand, grew up in Iran surrounded by other Persian Muslims. I grew up as a religious and ethnic minority in suburban Atlanta with nobody remotely like me.
It dawned on me that I'm not filled with contradictions. I know who I am. I am a Muslim who grew up in a largely Christian country. I am a hybrid of two worlds — and my potpourri of religious experiences reflects that.
Am I setting my child up for a life of not knowing who he really is or where he comes from?
So last year, I finally decided to take Zain to the toy store and buy him some gifts during the holiday season. We didn't put up a tree or talk about Christmas extensively, but Zain knew that he was getting presents because that's what happens during Christmas.
Upon learning that I had bought Zain gifts, my four-year-old niece cried, "It's not fair! Zain gets to celebrate Christmas and not me!" My other nieces, who attended an Islamic school at the time, jumped at the opportunity to explain sanctimoniously, "We don't celebrate Christmas because we are Muslims!"
Zain, who adores his older cousins and mimics their every move, suddenly had no interest in Christmas or the gifts he had received for that occasion. In fact, on the day after Christmas break, when Zain returned to preschool and his teacher asked him how his Christmas holiday went, Zain looked at her as if she had insulted him and replied in a tone imitating that of his cousins, "We don't celebrate Christmas, Miss Dyeann!"
This year I won't agonize over Christmas again. If Zain brings up the subject, I'll take him to the store to buy him gifts like I did last year. But I have a feeling his cousins will do the dirty work so that I don't have to think about it for now. As Zain gets older, I hope he will begin to realize that he is different than his classmates in a more organic way — a way which doesn't strip him of his identity as a Muslim, but also doesn't cause him to scoff at any holiday that celebrates giving and receiving.
©2008 Hadeel Masseoud and Babble
About the Author
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Hadeel Masseoud is a full-time corporate lawyer and part-time freelance writer. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, son and daughter. |
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