advice needed on muslims celebrating christmas Pleeeease!

[firstontheway]

Salam

Here was the initial thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/637689-to-want-my-muslim-dh-to-particip ate-in-christmas?msgid=12982219

I am not entirely sure tbh what islam says about celebrating christmas, it obviously being a religious holiday. But I really want us to celebrate it as a 'family occassion' and a chance for my children to have the wonderful experiences that I had growing up.

Any advice would be most greatly appreciated re: how you celebrate (if you do), if it is halal to celebrate, and scholars etc to back it up, the situation if one of you is a convert, or christian married to a muslim? etc

Very confusing thread, sorry! tia

www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=111 9503543368

www.jannah.org/articles/xmas.html

www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1123996015608&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam%2 FAskAboutIslamE%2FAskAboutIslamE

I asked a muslim colleague last year about christmas as she had a christian husband. she did join in the celebrations but kept away from the religious side. they treated christmas as a time of giving and of children rather than of celebrating the birth of jesus even though jesus is a prohet to muslims. some of the texts are hard to interpret, I have looked at them a few times since she gave me the links but am still partly confused. (I have only listed a few of the sites she gave me here, the easier ones to read!!) but as she said to me, as long as we all celebrate both muslim and christian events without celebrating the religious side of them, then they are ok but it depends on the strength of faith and the depth of religiousness of the people involved. not sure exactly what she meant by that. I can't open the message thread you mention for some reason but I hope this is of some help?

I don't have first-hand experience of this myself but my cousin dated a Muslim man (they are now married) and as Ramadan fell over Christmas one year, they postponed the dinner part til after dark so he could join in, eating appropriate foods of course and they all fasted with him (rather them than me). I don't think he's a strict Muslim though so that probably helps a wee bit.

thanks for the links they're great
and heres the origional thread (i hope)

do you think your DH is under pressure from his family over this?
I would think a good thing would be for your family to be involved in the muslim celebrations too, the (3?) Eids are a good start. if both sides of the family celebrate both without the religious side if need be, a compromise may be met?

"celebrate both without the religious side"....?
The reason Muslims and Cristians celebrate those ( Eids and Cristmas )is because of their RELIGIOUS side! So what you had said is irrelevant. And its funny really.

i dont believe christmas in this country has anything at all to do with christianity anymore.

it a national holiday, so family memebers usually get together. they have a meal together, as people do when they get togehter. what else is there? presents? tree? cards?