my daughter is wishing to send her Muslim friend a Christmas card in pakistan ... she is unsure if this would be disrespectful or not
the girl did live in the UK for some time and knows our culture here and i understand that Western Muslims respect Christian holidays.. would this be ok in Pakistan also ?
2006-11-30 23:09:28 · 32 answers · asked by Peace 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I directed this to Muslims .. but anyone who knows and wishes to answer seriously..
much appreciated
2006-11-30 23:11:29 · update #1
i think my daughter would be very happy to recieve a card from a Muslim ( especially her friend ) for their own celibrations ... why not
2006-11-30 23:17:54 · update #2
i think an eid card sounds great ... and she can put her personal message inside xx
2006-11-30 23:27:40 · update #3
She should send her a New Year's card instead;) That's how we do in Turkey. Wishing a Muslim Merry Xmas wouldn't be appropriate, wishing her the best for the New Year, would be a nice thought instead.
2006-11-30 23:14:01 · answer #1 · answered by Love_my_Cornish_Knight❤️ 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
I think your daughter should go with her instincts. We live in Scotland and often the first Xmas cards we get are from Muslims. We also send a few Eid cards each year (for big Eid at the end of Ramadan, which happens at a slightly different date each year and has just passed). We send the Eid cards because we want to send good wishes to our friends and neighbours for their big day. I know this is appreciated. We dont expect cards in return because we don't celebrate Eid and its not part of our culture or religion. But Jesus is after all a recognised religious figure in the Koran (Sura 19 I think, check it out) and Muslim families here have a cultural connection to Christmas just by living in a society where it is the main festival - in other words you cant avoid it.
You could also argue that Christmas is not a Christian festival anyway. I know that this gets up Christians noses but just about everything about the holiday is a lot older than Jesus. Yule logs, holly, mistletoe etc. This is a European winter festival converted into a Christian one to suit the needs of the early church. The reason its all about presents and rich food is because those are its true origins, its got naff all to do with the baby Jesus.
When sending Xmas cards to Muslims I choose secular themes but then I do that anyway because I am an atheist.
But let's put it another way - is it OK for your daughter to leave her friend off her Xmas card list because she is a Muslim?
Its not just a question of this girl understanding our culture, its part of her background too because she lived here. She will understand the meaning of the card and I am sure she will be delighted to have this contact with her friend.
2006-12-01 00:09:00 · answer #2 · answered by judipod 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a tradition of our company to print New Year's Card with "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" message printed boldly inside as well as on the card + on the Envelope.
We send these cards to our over 2000 regular clients as well as foreign friends and business associates. I lived my early life in Pakistan and I know that they are a bit more conservative than what we are in Bangladesh. Still, to my knowledge I have never seen any disrespect for the Christmas celebration in Pakistan.
In Bangladesh over 85% Muslims we have Government sanctioned holidays in all the major celebrations for Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. All the 4 religion are respected here officially as well as culturally, being a Bengali culture which has no barrier based on religion.
So, your daughter may send the card to Pakistan. If you feel like sending one to me then I may send you Eid and Christmas cards from Bangladesh and you may find them interesting too.
2006-12-02 04:46:23 · answer #3 · answered by Hafiz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That depends on the situation on the family of your daughter's friend, and also herself.
However, Jesus is do recognized and his birthday is indeed celebrated, but the problem lies more on the birthdate.
Though since she once lived in the U.K., she probably would understand.
If you want to send it anyway and be safe, use a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" type card, also don't use winter and Santa Claus themed card.
And send it now or after new year, don't wait till near the end of the month.
2006-11-30 23:28:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would tell your daughter to send her a card for the Eid coming up. We dont celebrate Christmas. Regardless of any holiday, I am sure that your daughter's friend would just be happy to recieve anything at all from someone she cares about.
It's a nice gesture from your daughter :)
2006-11-30 23:25:04 · answer #5 · answered by Angelina27 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My best answer to that is for your daughter not to send a christmas card, but maybe a "Well Wishes" or "Best Wishes" one. Because christmas is not celebrated. That is like a devout christian receiving a hanuka card. But rather have her send a well wishes card explaining her traditions and why she is sending the card with what she originally wanted to write attached. Take care!
2006-11-30 23:59:21 · answer #6 · answered by Mitchell B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think they would be offended at all. I'm a Muslim and people give me Christmas cards all the time and even i give them out to people who are friends who i know are celebrating this holiday. But i feel its not really necessary for her to send a card to someone she knows does not celebrate it, they wont be exactly expecting one. Why doesn't she just send them a nice letter instead. Would she expect them to sent her a card wishing her a happy Eid? It nice of her to think of her friend but i wouldn't bother.
2006-11-30 23:16:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well it depends on how that friend of her's thinks. For educated and open minded people here, its not disrespectful as muslims are basically taught to respect all religions and most do. I wish merry christmas and other christmas events to all my christian friends and have also attended some of their events at their places. I can tell you for sure that majority of urban educated muslims would not mind it. Its your daughter's wish to celebrate her happiness with her friend here, so be it. If she knows him well, and still wants to wish him, then she knows she is doing the right thing.
2006-11-30 23:19:06 · answer #8 · answered by The Dream Merchant 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My personal way of thinking is like this, greet Muslims with their celebrations and greet Christians with their celebrations... How about, your child create her own piece of card ?. That's would be better, and much more valuable.. Of course, her friend will be so happy and appreciate her artpiece... Am I right ?
I'm Sunni Muslim, I'm kinda liberal in my way but some restrictions need to be follow.
2006-12-01 02:07:15 · answer #9 · answered by yusdz 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Personally I wouldn't - she could drop her a non-Christmassy card saying that she's thinking about her at a time of year when families and friends like to be together. And maybe send a card at festival times in the Muslim calendar.
2006-11-30 23:15:15 · answer #10 · answered by GoldieMeg 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a Muslim nor am I from Pakistan; but I thought I'd say that little children usually don't have the Religious and Political Agenda of the elders; so, you might just consider letting your daughter go ahead?
2006-11-30 23:13:33 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋