Editorial

Abstract

This issue was put together as we moved into a new year (according to theGregorian calendar, that is). This year, the New Year holiday coincided withthe hajj and Eid al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice) celebrations. That such importantMuslim celebrations closely followed Hannukah and Christmas was awonderful reminder of the benefits and importance of interfaith harmonyand mutual understanding. Though each holy day has a slightly differentfocus – Hannukah commemorates the Temple’s rededication and the miracleof the burning oil, Christmas celebrates Jesus’ (pbuh) birth, and Eid al-Adha commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s (pbuh) obedience to God (swt) byshowing his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail (pbuh) – each event consistsof a joyous string of rituals that bring families and congregationstogether. To borrow a metaphor from mathematics, inside each concentriccircle (the faith) there was peace, joy, and family happiness. And sincethese circles overlapped in time, it was a wonderful chance to share whatwas going on in one circle with those in the other circles – overlapping concentriccircles.In many places, interfaith groups took advantage of this overlap. But asmost people are not involved in interfaith groups, the positive potential ofgood interfaith relations was cancelled by dissension over seemingly trivialmatters: whether to wish people “Merry Christmas,” to call the schoolvacation the “Christmas” or the “winter” holidays, and to call the pine treeserected in public squares “Christmas trees.”A wide-ranging and very public debate over whether a store employeeshould say “Merry Christmas” to a customer becomes a flashpoint of tension,because a society lives out its traditions in these customary greetings,practices, and terminologies. In addition, the traditions it chooses to honorconnect adults to their childhood and their ancestors. These small traditionsembody (or at least are thought to embody) an essential identity, values thata society holds dear. So even though for many people Christmas has lost itsreligious significance, its celebratory aspect remains salient. Although manyobservant Christians feel offended by this holiday’s growing materialism,nevertheless at this time of year, both religious and non-religious peoplecome together and experience a sense of unity and togetherness ...