Loved it.

Lovely whimsical article. Bravo, Tanveer!

I *am* a Christian, and take it seriously, and dislike the commercial and secular swamping of the reason for which we celebrate Christmas. There's a place for those things, but not when they crowd out the basis completely. I appreciated your backhander to those politically-correct "inclusives" who want to take the Christmas out of Christmas. It wouldn't occur to me to tell a Muslim to rename Ramadan, or Eid (Idul Fitri, or Lebaran, as my close Indonesian Muslim friend also calls it).

True inclusiveness can't come from craven Westerners bending over backwards to dis-affirm their own culture.

It has to come from a preparedness of all (including Muslims who take *their* religion seriously) to share the world, rather than insist on BEING the world whether it likes it or not!

For many years, I've wondered why interfaith groups haven't organized joint "Nativity Plays" with little kids doing the relevant bits from the Christian Gospels and the Book of Mary/Miriam in the Koran, one birth in a stable, one under a palm tree. And if they /have/ been done, I'd still be wondering why I haven't seen these reported in the mainstream media.

Too many Christians are ignorant of the shared elements with Islam, and this makes intolerance more likely.

Some kids dressed up as stable animals, some kids dressed up as the fruit-bearing plant that miraculously grows to ease the dry mouth and labor pains of Mary/Miriam - it'd be cute, wouldn't it?

It's the time of year for celebrations, rebranding and remessaging are nothing new. It really is the holiday season and the idea that's it's a distinctly christian celebration has more to do with the success of one rebranding exerfcise than the history of the season.

http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

http://www.times-georgian.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Origins+of+Christmas+traditions-+They+may+surprise+you%20&id=5303786-Origins+of+Christmas+traditions-+They+may+surprise+you&instance=home_news_top

http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract3.html

http://www.thercg.org/books/ttooc.html

http://www.ccg.org/english/s/P235.html

R0bert

Christmas is about Jesus Christ. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Hate Him, or loathe Him we have no choice, the world celebrates Christmas. Whether we go to church, get drunk, partying, having a wild time, we are celebrating and enjoying ourselves.

Muslims celebrate their festivities by beating themselves senseless or killing animals by the thousands.
http://trueslant.com/michaelhastings/2009/12/28/iraq-ashura-pictures-from-baghdad-warning-it-gets-a-bit-bloody/

Not surprising that with more "free choice" there are about 100 million Chinese today, the Hui Muslim Chinese remained forzen in time and viewed to be backward.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article5960010.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Many faiths indeed , all are peaceful except for Islam which promotes violence, destruction of things non-Muslim.

Christ-mas, or the re-appearance of the Light is/was an appropriation by Christians of the Winter Solstice festival which was celebrated all over the ancient world--and still is.
Hence:
Alban Arthan by the Druids in England
Amaterasu the Shinto sun goddess in Japan
Chaomos the Kalash people in Pakistan
Chronia an ancient Greek festival
Deygan Zoroastrian from ancient Persia
Dong Zhi Buddhists in China and East Asia
Feast of St Lucia ancient Scandanavian--now St Lucy's Day
Hannukah the Festival Of Lights Judaism
Hogmanay Scottish with roots in Norse solstice celebrations
Inti Raymi Incans during southern hemisphere winter
Junkanoo parades celebrated in Bahamas & Jamaica--origin West Africa
Makara Sankranti Hindu midwinter festival in India
Satunalia festival of ancient Rome
Soyal Zuni and Hopi tribes North America
Wren Day Druids of Ireland & Wales
Yule or Yul observed since Viking times by Norse & Germanic cultures.

Plus the Christmas Tree or the Tree of Life symbol appears in:

The Book of Genesis
The Rig-Veda
The Bhagavad Gita
The Kabbalah
The Book of Mormon
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights

It is also referred to in the mythologies of Mesopotamia, Assyria, Mesoamerica, Armnenia and the ancient texts of Hinduism, Buddhism and others too.

This reference gives a unique Understanding of the meaning and significance of Light in all of these stories and Traditions. A meaning which is noticeably absent in todays Western secularized, and even Christianized world.

http://global.adidam.org/books/danavira-3.html