As Muslims, we revere Jesus as a prophet, who is mentioned more in the Quran than Prophet Mohammed or Moses or Solomon or David or Joseph or other prophets. So in my family, we have always participated in the celebration of his birth on Christmas. Growing up as a child in Germany, I learned about the Germans celebration of Christmas. There was Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, when we lit a candle in wreath every week. A few years later, I was in the Deutsche Botschaftschule- German Embassy School- in Ankara Turkey. I continued to learn about this holiday and enjoy the festivities. I sang German Christmas songs in the school choir and we made all kinds of arts and crafts for the holiday. I remember how our teacher, Herr Ohlerich would come and listen to our voice with his ear close to our mouths; if we were off-key, he would twist our noses really hard!
When we moved to New York a few years later, I began to love the American holiday music, the holiday lights, the fun parties leading up to Christmas, the shopping madness, the post Christmas holiday sales. This of course led up to the New Year’s celebrations which always required a big party. When my husband and I were younger, we would have big parties in our apartment. I remember one of my friends discovering the TV in the bathtub and laughing about it- we had to make space for 70 people in a 1-bedroom flat. Later on these parties were in our basement or our friends homes’ basements. Even until very recently, we would celebrate Christmas with friends dressing up in red and green, playing Secret Santa and just enjoying the holiday.
So, as I reflect on this year’s Christmas, I have a hard time saying “Merry” Christmas to my Christian friends. The word “Merry” is so inappropriate. Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, is in Palestine which is suffering so much as it is being bombed relentlessly after decades long brutal occupation. Baby Jesus is lying in rubble (https://time.com/6550851/bethlehem-christmas-sermon-nativity-rubble/ ) bombed or starved to death, as thousands of Palestinian babies, children, teenagers, women, men, elders have been. Christians in Palestine are not celebrating Christmas this year. It is as if a new Pharaoh of the 21st century is rampaging through the whole land, terrorizing and bombing everything in sight. Nothing is safe.
When I had a chance to visit Jerusalem about 10 years ago, I remember going to Al Aqsa Mosque, the Wailing Wall, and the Holy Church of the Sepulchre. I still remember just melting with tears when I entered the church- I felt as if a sweet spirit had enveloped me. I had a similar feeling when I visited the Dome of the Rock and we descended to the cave under it which had such a holy feeling that I just froze and cried. These days I think: Such a holy land, and so much blood and violence. How and why is that? How in the 21st century can countries throughout the world watch horrific collective punishment and violence on a scale never seen before and not act?
I think this world has forgotten the messages of all the prophets of peace that came thousands or hundreds of years ago, not just in Palestine or Saudi Arabia or Egypt but in China, India, and all continents and nations. It is a very sad time, and we can only pray that the forces of dehumanization are conquered by those of us who have some spirituality and humanity left in us. Only time will tell, and history will judge the oppressors and occupiers.
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