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”.
“the rituals of Hajj – circumambulation of Kaa’ba and all…”
I am sorry JayJay, hajj does not have its roots in any pagan rituals. It is the commemoration of a ritual of the original Abrahamic act of worship.
Ibrahim(PBUH) and his followers were cattle herding nomads, constantly on the move for new grazing pasteurs and water. In this simple pastoral life, the act of prayer and worship was equally simple. A small piece of ground was swept and a large stone (or rock) erected in the middle of the ground. The believers, men as well as women, went around the rock reciting the praise of God(SWT).
Undoubtedly, when Ibrahim(PBUH) brought his young son (Ismail (PBUH) and his mother Hajira(RA)) to settle them in the Arabian peninsula, the method of worship must have been taught by him (PBUH) to his son. The Qur’an itself bears testimony to this:
“..And remember when Abraham and Isma’il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing” (Qur’an 2:127).
It is also well known that the spring (zamzam) brought forth to relieve the agony of a thirsting child, in time attracted some wandering Arab
nomads to set roots at the site.; thus was born the Arabian tribe of Bani Jarham. Ismail(PBUH) grew up amongst, and later married into, that tribe. The simple act of Abrahamic prayer and worship which became established in that lone hamlet ages ago, in time attracted the passing trade caravans from all over Arabia, eventually resulting in the regionally renowned annual fair and pilgrimage in Mecca. Paganized it may have become, nevertheless it preserved the circumabulatory character of the original act of worship.
the amazing thing that I have seen our am seeing right now is that if not great but a substantial inclination towards the fact that we want to in the name of multiculterisum living in “multicultural cities” adopt not educate and I stress adopt the events or festivities it to show a “blend in” with the crowd, are we trying to more loyal to the king than the king himself……….?I really enjoy and somewhat feel good when for a bite to eat in the office turns out not to be Timbits or Nachos but a piece of sweet Baklava or couple of Soma’s……….all in all this to cut the story short let not be in a hurry to adopt and colour ourselves in the colours of the society we duel in rather give our colours to the society - haven’t we enough on our plates already………??
“I agree that Halloween may have roots in pagan rituals but why do we care?”
Exactly, Mr Rizvi. I cannot agree more with you.
No religion has evolved [a stagnant philosophy loses its relevance and forces its followers into a shell of siege-mentality] in absolute isolation. All religious (and non-religious) philosophies borrowed, learnt, copied, adopted and modified from other philosophies, besides being influenced by cultures exigencies, political circumstances, and so on.
Islam is no exception. It borrowed as much as from biblical traditions of the Middle East as from its desert Arab cultural and social milieu. It will dishonest to not appreciate Islam’s pagan heritage. Where should I start – the pagan names for people and the word Al-Lah for God; the rituals of Hajj – circumambulation of Kaa’ba and all; the concept of sacredness and sanctity for the Black Rock (Hijra-e-Aswad); etc. There is nothing wrong with it. However, the process of learning and adoption did not end in the early 7th century. It has been an ongoing process. Islam, like other faiths and secular concepts, had to adapt and accommodate to the demands of the local environment as it spread outside the Arabian Peninsula to be accepted. It would have remained alien to the natives of other cultures otherwise. We are very familiar with the spread and the evolution of Islam in the subcontinent.
Now, coming to the immediate point in question, Halloween is as Islamic as a believer thinks. Even if it has a pagan origin, many other concepts of Islam also originated from Arab’s pagan past. I do not think anybody will think that Arab paganism is holier or more relevant than Irish paganism.
I think there is nothing wrong in sharing in the enjoyment and happiness of others. By all means, we should felicitate non-muslims on their religious celebrations and share in their happiness.
However, that is different from incorporating non-Islamic festivals as our own and to begin fervently celebrating them as Islamic. It can lead to some hilarious contradictions; and it is definitley not unheard of in human history.
Many years ago, in Canada, I heard one of them TV evangelists make mention of something that had once crossed my mind. He was questioning Dec’25th as Jesus’(PBUH) birthday. His point was that, according to the bible narrative, shepherds were out in the fields on the night of Jesus’(PBUH) birth. Would that be plausible, he wondered, on a cold wintry night in the middle east? You can make up your own mind.
It is common knowledge that when Christianity was being promoted among gentiles, in particular among the Romans, there used to be a very popular sun god festival (the birthday of the unconquered sun) among the Romans on Dec’ 25th. In their zeal to ensure pagan Rome that it won’t have to give up its festivities as a result of accepting Christianity, one persuasive theory has it that Dec’ 25th was incoporated as the Christian celebration of Jesus’(PBUH) birthday in Christianity. Allahu Alim!
It is this kind of corruption of one’s own true beliefs that Islam cautions muslims against. If one reads the old testament with a discerning eye, it is inescapable to notice that the jewish kings, perhaps to be tolerant to the pagan nations around them (though more likely due to their love of the pagan females), repeatedly took to idol worship of pagan gods. Of course, it can be argued that this was done simply in deference to the most serious of God’s Commandments that “thou shalt worship all other gods except me” (curious why this commandment is missing from the list posted in this thread). The rest, as they say, is jewish history.
However, all that was then. Times have changed and our circumstances are different in own world today. Competing successfully with the Judeo-Christian world in its love for greed and nudity, and having outdone the Hindus in lavishness in our marriage rituals (God Knows we could have wiped out poverty and illiteracy from Pakistan had we spent that money on education and to help the poor instead), what harm could there be if we start properly celebrating other non-Islamic festivals as well? There is, after all, no shortage of other dumb rituals in our society.
I find some of the comments on here are quite rediculous and if anything prove your point even further. It’s a sad fact that most Pakistanis who have submitted comments about your article don’t realize the point you’re trying to make. That is, Islam doesn’t condone divisions in society now does it. If anything it promotes unity throughout all, and to spread love and joy throughout the community would in a lot of ways help unite the communities. When white people see muslims doing the same and uniting, it helps eradicate the sad image that the western world has capture about our religion. Not participating in this would only make things worse and imply that muslims don’t have much of a sense of community, which to an extent is true, but that is a completely different debate.
As I have been taking my Grade 11 world religions class, I have gained considerable knowledge about many religions and what they believe. Indeed, my ideas about Islam have changed throughout the two short months that school have started. But one thing that still remains true for me is the golden rule “Do to others as you would want to be treated”, which is emphasized throughout every religion, just modified. So to impose your doctrines and your rediculous and incredibly close-minded dogmatism and doctrines is a very dangerous. Which is why I have also come to the conclusion that religion is a dangerous thing and if power is given to the wrong person, it can lead to poison for that religion. The ignorant garbage that our mulla’s spew everyday is a result of a set of doctrines put in place by similarly minded individuals from the past, which has been passed on to now, and the pass 6 years has only messed this up even further.
Hope I got the point accross. Hi Muslim bhai.
Akbar Jaffry
Student of Dunbarton High School a
16 years of age.
Rafay Kashimiri, I’m pretty sure that the audience of this post is not the Pakistani public in general, just the expatriate section that has to deal with these issues and especially parents of young children. So, please keep the blood pressure in check.
I have lived in the United States for 15 years and never really attended a Halloween party. But now that my son is able to understand these events, I did take him trick or treating last year and plan to do it again this year, without a thought as to the origins of the festivities. I am fully aware that at some point, it was a pagan holiday (as was the Hajj) but it’s not anymore (same is the case with the Hajj). My sixth grade Islamiat book started with the phrase “Aamaal ka daaromadar niyaat par hai” and that’s all I know and that’s all I need to know.
“Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of reigion”
Nope!
Pity the nation that is full of religion and devoid of belief.
Atelier,
I was in fits with your brilliant ten commandments of the Taliban, muslims need to learn to live and let live. I am doing my bit vis a vis Pakistan by promoting an alternative or ‘other’ Pakistan, please visit my website at http://www.otherpakistan.org/archive.html
Feimanallah
Wasim