I cannot understand why people shy away from saying Merry Christmas to each other these days. It was not like that a couple of years ago. It seems as if people in the malls and public places are avoiding Christmas greetings out of fear that someone may be offended.
In our environment of fast-growing immigrant communities, people look into each others' eyes and try to judge whether it's appropriate to say Merry Christmas. This boggles my mind. Why is it ever inappropriate to share Christmas greetings?
This beautiful phrase should not be offensive to anyone since it only carries a message of love, hope, peace and celebration.
A couple years ago, a Toronto judge banned a Christmas tree from the lobby of a provincial courthouse. She thought it was an inappropriate cultural or religious symbol for a courthouse. Unbelievable!
Should we start taking paintings and other art works from public places since those things represent someone's idea or a particular school of art? In our self-created environment of hypersensitivity and political correctness, can we go any further in the name of so-called fairness?
That's why it's said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Preventing children in some schools from singing Christmas songs for the sake of others' beliefs is an unnecessary measure in building relationships with people of other cultures.
Unfortunately, some champions of our hypersensitive, feel-good culture, and our own typical polite behaviour towards Christmas and other celebrations, are actually alarming immigrants.
Most immigrants are quite comfortable with Christmas. They take it first as an event of culture and celebration. They are not offended by it even in religious terms. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and others consider Jesus a messenger of love and peace. Muslims share Jesus as a part of their belief.
A small group of Muslim extremists in Toronto happened to denounce Merry Christmas in the past. But that group was immediately confronted by moderate Muslims. If we change our basic attitudes and behaviour out of fear of such extremist groups, that is our mistake. In a way, we are helping them further their agenda. We shouldn't ever be defensive and apologetic for saying Merry Christmas.
From me to you: Merry Christmas!
I have never understood the modern inclination by the politically correct cowards to try to make holidays so inoffensive that no one wants to be associate with them. It is not the non christians that seem to want this garbage but thse who seem to want us all to be carbon copies of each. It is the differences that makes our society very interesting. We should not be afraid to greet each other with the greetings of each other's celebration.
Also, we Muslims need to explain more that when we use the term prophet it is quite different from how it is used in Old and New Testaments. Our prophets are the ones who are sinless, innocent of any sin, speak nothing but from one and only God, Messengers bringing God's message to their people without any alteration, role models as perfect human beings, able to prophecy as God wills, etc. In short, they are 'sons or family' of God in spiritual way, not in any physical way.
It is important to note that in 20-25 years there will be 3 billion Muslims (currently 1.75 billion) and at least 600 million Arabs. The implications for our foreign policy, trade, international finance, access to resources, etc., should be obvious to any thinking person. Get educated. Colonialism is in its death throes.
Yet the apprehension about Islam and its deleterious effects, as explained in detail by those very knowledgeable about it (Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Raymond Ibrahim among many others) is dismissed by those who continue to sip the Kool-Aid. I would recommend you read "The Caged Virgin" and "Nomad" by Ali before you continue to smother yourself in propagandistic "taqiyya".
Greet the person by whatever the holiday they are celebrating. Inclusive is the same as carbon copies and most minorities to not want to be copies of the majority In NA. It is only the politically correct cowards who want this idea the rest of us want to celebrate our own holidays and a lot of us truly enjoy talking small parts in the celebrations of others as we get to know other celebrations besides those we grew up with.