A Christmas ornament at a public square in Surabaya to welcome the festive day in the largest Muslim populous country. – AFP
IT has always been an annual occurrence that when Christmas comes, Muslims in Indonesia debate among themselves the permissibility of participating in or even congratulating their Christian fellow countrymen on that festive day.
Indonesian Muslims are generally divided into three groups in this regard. The first are the conservatives who reject it wholeheartedly, the second are the liberals who take the opposite stand, while the third are moderates who differentiate between participating in the celebration and simply wishing Christians a happy celebration. The last group seems more rational and acceptable in an Indonesian context.
The conservative position looks strange and awkward on many grounds. First, an example from the Holy Prophet Muhammad has shown that on a particular occasion he interacted with Christians in a very respectful manner. In one prophetic tradition, the Prophet was said to have received a Christian delegation from Najran, where he hosted them inside the mosque. And when the time to pray came, he allowed them to say their prayers in it.
Second, on moral and social grounds, the conservative stance seems to be overwhelmingly xenophobic and apologetic in nuance. The truth is that, what they have said and expressed concerning Christmas in particular and Christians in general are barriers that hinder a better communication between people of different faiths. People of the same national identity should ideally preserve their brotherly bonds irrespective of their differences in faith and religious beliefs.
This conservative view reflects the idea that Christians are seemingly not part of the larger Muslim community, as if there is animosity between the two parties. Views such as these are relevant only in time of war and invasion.
It is worth noting that among the leading Muslim scholars that advocated such a polemical position is 14th century theologian, Ibn Taimiyah. In his copious writings, he often attacked all forms of cooperation by Muslims with Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims in defense of the vision of an ideal Islamic society he had constructed. Due to the prevailing conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims at the time, he produced a discourse that assumed that non-Muslims were all enemies.
Constructions such as this are no longer relevant in our Indonesian context, where it is simply unimaginable to assume that our fellow Christian countrymen are people of war. On the contrary, what is logical is to treat them, like anyone else, as ordinary neighbors. They are nationalists too who are willing to defend our national interests. The fact that there is no animosity, let alone war, between Muslims and non-Muslims in this country means that Christians are friends and brethren who should be treated as equal citizens.
The example from the Holy Prophet above furthermore should be taken as undisputed fact that in normal times, Muslims must behave toward non-Muslims in a humane manner as strangers, hosts, guests or neighbors, majority or minority. After all, what the Holy Quran forbids is for Muslims to worship the same gods as theirs. There is no command that to share the Christian communal holidays is forbidden.
Although religion is essentially about having faith and belief in God, when it comes to social interaction, the sense of being human, and not being Muslim, Christian and the like, is the ground on which to build a better understanding. Greeting each other on a very important festival is an important step toward that end. To ignore our neighbors’ religious festivities is to build a huge fence that alienates them, and ultimately instigates disharmony among ourselves.
Religious festivals in themselves are a time for armistice and friendship. This applies to people of different faiths too. Ideally, it may be appropriated to the utmost as a means to look inward and seek the causes of our errors and help us get rid of our sinful symptoms. Given that the ability to recognise differences is both natural and essential within all of us, it is acceptable to assume that the festival of a particular religion is a gift for another.
Respecting other religious festivals is therefore part of that invitation to build brotherhood and achieve our ideal humanity. An ideal humanity is that which idealises unity, and upholds accords rather than discord.
However, given the conservative nature of Indonesian society, participating in Christmas by attending services at church, buying a Christmas tree and presenting it to Christian friends, participating in roast dinners, are not recommended either. The liberal undertaking that promotes these is not realistic. In Indonesia, where religious issues are sensitive, avoiding controversial behavior is highly advised.
So, what is best is for Muslims is to greet our Christians fellow countrymen with open arms and hearts, and wish them a better life and joyful Christmas without necessarily getting involved in their celebrations. – The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
Abdul Kadir Riyadi is professor of Islamic Studies at the State Islamic University Surabaya. The views expressed here are solely the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sunday Star.
