Last year we had a discussion on Halloween in Pakistan and this year we’ll try to see the issues faced by the Pakistani community when they try to celebrate or try to shy away from Halloween while living abroad.
It has been boiling inside of me since that fateful day when I went to a mosque for an Iftari last Ramzan. I have a very good friend who is a part of the management at one of mosques and he invited me to come to the mosque for an iftari and a dars (sermon) by the resident maulvi. Coincidentally, I had to pass a few of his earlier invitations because of one commitment or another, so I decided to go this time. I sent him a confirmation email a day before that I will be there. However, I asked him that will he exclude me from Daira-e-Islam (circle of Islam) if I did not listen to Mullah and leave before he speaks. My friend, as expected from a gentleman that he is, sent me an email indicating his agreement with a smiley at the end.
Just to give you a little background. I am not an atheist. I consider myself a proud Muslim. I have indeed gone through my phases of atheism, agnosticism and all kinds of confusions when it comes to religion but I am thankful to God that I have evolved as a believer. When I look back, I realize that I never had any issues with Islam but I have always had issues with Muslims. To this day, I hate to see Islam used and abused by none other than the followers of this great religion.
Anyway, when I arrived at the mosque for the Iftari, my friend introduced me to the Maulvi. He seemed like a decent educated chap. After my meeting with him, my friend asked me again, if I wanted to stay for the sermon. It was hard to say no at that point. The sermon started off well and then at one point the maulvi revealed to the crowd in a very dramatic tone, that if all of the people in the mosque knew that their house was on fire. There was a silence in the room. The maulvi took another dramatic turn and said “ your house is on fire”! There was a murmur in the crowd. The maulvi repeated this statement three or four times and then asked the people, “do you want to know why?”. Some of the front row enthusiasts replied in a yes and the maulvi unfolded the mystery. The point was that our houses were on fire was because we live next to the biggest Satan, the United States. Damn! I mumbled under my breath.
I hate this meaningless US bashing. I am no fan of Mr. Bush and in fact I have several issues with the US policies. I think most of the times they are manipulative and sometimes just plain stupid. Having said that, I want to emphasize on the fact that I have no hard feelings against the American people. As a Pakistani Muslim, I believe we have a political conflict with the Unites States government and it does not translate into a war between Americans against the Muslims. The American people are simple and ignorant people like us. The difference is that they have been trapped inside a bubble. They have no idea about the outside world. All there is to them is the US and all they know about the outside world is via a biased media. It is not their fault that they are not aware of the reality of the Middle Eastern conflict. If you live with these people, you discover that hey are friendly, family oriented people with their own value system. Not every one is having sex with everyone else. Jerry Springer is not depicting the real American culture. Like us, these people too work hard to provide for their families and are not striving or conniving to destroy Islam or Muslims. It’s a political conflict , let’s keep it a political conflict!
The next trigger for this article was an email in one of the mail lists that I subscribe to titled “Surviving Halloween”. The title pretty much describes the essence of the e-mail. Here is a quote from the e-mail.
“How can we worship only Allah, the Creator, if we participate in activities that are based in pagan rituals, divination, and the spirit world? May Allah protect us from such misguidance”.
This email also had several quotations from Quran and forbade muslims to become a part of the pagan ritualistic tradition of Halloween like
“So many people participate in these celebrations without even understanding the history and the pagan connections, just because their friends are doing it, their parents did it (”it’s a tradition!”), and because “it’s fun!” Allah described such people in the Qur’an: “When it is said unto them, ‘Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,’ they say, ‘Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.’ What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?” (Qur’an > 5:104)
I am not a religious scholar and so the first question I raise is what is the context of this quotation from Quran? Is it not that Arabs had traditions of burying daughters, worshipping idols, etc or it can be applied to children dressing up in cartoon characters and going to every home in the neighborhood to collect candy?
The second question I would raise is what does Quran say about people who use religion and quotations from Quran to serve their personal hidden agendas and what does it say about the people who in their sheer ignorance propagate these views by forwarding such emails. This emotional, exploitive rhetoric is shaping up the views and opinions of our new generation.
The third question is that being a Pakistani Muslim living in North America, if our children go “trick or treating” are they really defying the principles of Islam? I may not have an answer to the first two questions but I do believe that I know the answer to third question. I do believe that Islam is about sharing joy and love. As some one on the same mail list pointed out that we should be celebrating to the extent that we understand that it is sharing in other peoples ‘happiness and festivals’. However, at the same time we should be explicitly clear in our understanding (and our communication to kids) that this is not part of our religion. There should not be any harm as long as this understanding is clear. The gentleman also pointed out a risk that with the passage of time, this understanding or differentiation may not remain clear, and these festivals may be considered a part of Islam. I agree and with my decision to live in the “West”, I took the responsibility to provide and maintain that line of demarcation bteween our’s and their’s culture and religion.
I agree that Halloween may have roots in pagan rituals but why do we care? Can’t we look at the bigger picture? Do you know where suit and tie comes from that you wear to work everyday? Tie symbolizes a cross. It is a very Christian thing but wearing a suit and tie does not make me Christian because that is not the ‘Neeyat’ (intention). Even your namaz (prayer) is not complete unless you make a ‘Neeyat’. Do you know where Mehndi (before your wedding) comes from you? Who cares? We adapted Hindu culture because we lived with them from hundreds of years. We didn’t adapt worshipping their gods but things that don’t hurt our basic religious principle are fine. Spreading joy and laughter is not unislamic!!! We live in multicultural society. Why can’t we be a part of other people’s festivities and share happiness? I loved it when my white, Canadian friends come to my house on Eid for Sheer Qurma. Why can’t we stop bashing everything American (even though Halloween is not originally American)? Why can’t we spread some joy and love in the world? Why do we have to highlight the differences and spread hatred? Why can’t the world be just one big happy place?
I watched the Halloween episode of the show “little mosque on the prairie”, and I loved the idea. a Halloween with a cultural twist? Can’t we have our children dressed up like chotay nawab with the kurta, pajama and topi? Can’t we have the bulbul and Jugnoo from Iqbal’s nazm Hamdardee. Can’t we have the Khattak dancer and girl from Thar costumes? If someone comes and tell me this is un-Islamic, the I only thing I can tell them is …Hip Hip Hurrah for Halal-oween!!!
Photo Credits: First photo is taken by the author himself. Other photos for this article have been taken from flickr.com
About the Author: Muslim Rizvi is working as a Solutions Manager for an IT service company. He is based just outside of Toronto, Canada . Muslim is a writer, a poet, a painter, a playwright, an actor and a director and has been associated with theatre for over a decade. These days however, he is playing the role of a full time father and in his own words: “the artist in me died when a father in me was born”.
Ejaz Haider’s today column is very topical (and hilarious) to the subject under discussion.
“This dispatch, to use military lingo, comes from Swat and it is my pleasure to report that I am a witness to the great revolution that is creeping in on us in these parts. Being of infirm resolve though I continue to foray into areas liberated by the mujahideen while returning to the island of jahiliyya for a comfortable bed, cable TV and, yes, a clean bathroom. Such is the conditioning to which I am chained by my “pagan” life and this is what the mujahideen are trying to cure.
”There is some evil propaganda about a few beheadings carried out by some mujahideen, four in public, of which one was in Khwazakhela and three in Matta, but these acts need to be put in a context.
”It is an accepted fact of history that those who have their sights set on making big changes cannot be judged on the basis of common morality and the indignation begotten of it. What we are witnessing here is a great wave that seeks to liberate us from our decadence and if that requires knocking off a few people, so be it.”
Read the complete article here: http://tinyurl.com/2am5jf
Thank you for speaking up SILENT OBSERVER. Your attitude is the correct one.
I also do not like the idea of Halloween being celebrated in Muslm households, but reading the comments from the so-called ‘religious’ side here makes me not side with them because their attitude is negative and unpleasant towards others. This negates the more important principles of Islam. We need to become good ourselves first in our own behavior before we can expect anyone else to believe us. The image of Islam is most distorted by those who become angry and violent in its name.
Wassalam.
For all those who disagree with particpating in halloween, and have been arguing over and over again in a somewhat inappropriate manner and giving our fellow Pakistani brothers a hard time, this one is for you:
the Qur’an instructs Muslims to “change the channel” when they walk upon senseless speech then disengage for a short period of time(6:68), and even wish peace and amicably
disengage on a long-term basis (28:55).
The Qur’an specifically prohibts Muslims from making mockery of other religions’ personalities and practices. Therefore if a Muslim commits blasphemy against non-Muslim deities, personalities, or practices (6:108), or even fellow Muslims (49:11), specific Qur’anic verses could be invoked to stop him/her from doing so. These are universal and timeless Qur’anic ethical injunctions that are applicable in Saudi Arabia as they are in Indonesia. One may choose to ignore them, but that is his/her personal choice.
source :
http://www.quraninstitute.org/archives/islam/index .htm
Live and let live!I don’t care about halloween but I care about Muslims arguing.We need to understand
that as long a person belives in Allah and belives in the Prophet, he is a Muslim. Nobody has a right to crtisize his faith or practises. If you disagree, then you disagree and that is fine. Everybody has their opinion. respect it!
Islam is a religion of peace.
Peace!
Well, in any religious debate there is always going to be two parties, one supporting an argument and one opposing it. It’s such a pity that if someone has a good understanding of Islam and he or she tries to follow the Quran and Sunnah, he or she is labeled as an Extremists or Fundamentalist.
One must not forget that, this life is just a test and we are tested by Allah with our money, our children, events happening around us and everything. Would you not try to do the best and pass this test. This life is nothing compared with aakhira (which is never ending). This life is like a “bubble of water” and we have time only till we are breathing, no more. Now it is up to us, to take heed and do our best to follow the Quran or Sunna or follow the herd and have fun. Is life all about having fun?
In Quran Allah says,
“I have only created jinns and men, that they may serve Me.” (Quran: 51:56).
“That which is on earth We have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are the best in conduct.” (Quran: 18:7).
“What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But verily the home in the hereafter - that is life indeed - if they but knew.” (Quran: 29:64)
Read them over and over again. The purpose of mankind is only to worship Allah day and night and not to seek pleasure from whatever your will says.
Allah has revealed the beautiful Quran full of wisdom for those who understand. We must live by the rules not make our own rules.
Do you not follow the rules where you work. You show up at work at 8 or 9 AM and work 8 hours or more right, sometimes you work overtime. You get promotions and bonus based on your performance and you get laid off if you don’t perform. Take this example on a bigger level. We have to follow the rules, strive to perform better (Nafl) and than as Allah (swt) has promised, He will forgive our minor sins and inshallah grant us paradise.
My dear brothers and sisters, what above I have stated is advice and reminder to myself first. It’s just a message across. Allah has given you thinking ability, think, read, and ponder. Not just from the ‘ilm’ you know already but by listening to the Quran (with meaning) and reading Hadith. It takes time but it does work.
And regarding Halloween. Let’s assume it is OK - because it is just a fun activity and it is not harmful. But tell me, what happens in a few generations? The understanding that we give to our children today will diminish and future generation will blindly consider these tradition as part of Islam. Innovations (bidah) are not allowed in Islam and doing or following bad innovations will certainly be a disaster. As an example, the idol worshipers today did not worship the idols in the beginning. They built statues to praise the pious people that had passed, so people would look at those statues - as a reminder - and be good. What had happened, with the passage of time, people forgot the real intention behind those statues and blindly and without seeking for the truth, started worshiping the idols.
Al-Tirmidhi reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “He is not one of us who imitates people other than us. Do not imitate the Jews and Christians.” According to another version: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’
al-Sagheer.
thanks to all the buddies … i guess… i have had enough reading/discussion on this topic… a constructive dialogue is always good ….
“at the moment it seems there is a forceful campaign being run and governed …. to brainwash people slowly … ”
I can’t remember the last time it was not done… except last time it made us into Jihadis and fanatics. Bit of “brain washing” to rid effects of last brain washing can only be welcome…of course our Jihadi friends would not approve…
Muslim Rizvi, my own sense is that you are making too much of this. I do not think that we need to obsess about Halloween. I do not like the event for many reasons, especially because it is just grotesque. I have no problems with your enjoying it, it that is the type of thing you like. Go for it. persnally, I do not connect with it, either religiously or culturally. I just think that if you want to celebrate it then celebrate it for its own worth, no need to turn arguments about how or whether Muslims can or cannot celebrate it. That has nothing to do with it.
So, I am not convinced by this and do not agree. But I must say that I do not want to associate myself with some of the others who also disagree. I find their tone of abuse and needless anger quite disgusting. It is rooted in their internal frustrations, not in religion.
sokrates man u r right… i couldn’t have put it in better words…