Halloween is upon us, and scores of children dressed up as everything imaginable will soon hit the streets, going door-to-door for candy. This year my five-year-old daughter is old enough to go. Alas, I will not let her. This is not because I am afraid for her safety, or I do not want her to eat her body weight in candy (though these are legitimate concerns). My decision is based on Islamic principles.Read the rest.
Islam accepts the cultural traditions of a people as long as those traditions agree with Islamic values. Thus, blue jeans, baseball caps, hot dogs, and other quintessential American items are wholeheartedly accepted by Islam. I am perplexed when some American Muslims wear Arab dress and pass this off as "Islamic" attire. Nonsense. A pair of jeans and a T-shirt is as Islamic as it gets. A similar argument can be made about such holidays as Mother's or Father's Day. Honoring our parents is so strongly stressed in Islam; Muslims should have no problem commemorating such holidays.
And this is why I will not send my daughter trick or treating this year or any other year. Halloween honors Celtic and Roman gods. Islam is strictly monotheistic, and anything having to do with the worship of any other god besides the Most Holy One is out of the question.
Many will see this stance as "fanatic," but I take exception to that accusation. I will not parade the streets trying to prevent trick-or-treaters, Muslim or otherwise, from getting their candy. I will not put a sign on my door saying, "No candy here--Halloween is a pagan holiday and you will all burn in hell." My family and I simply will not participate in Halloween festivities.
While it's true that Halloween is not, as I once thought, based on devil worship, it nevertheless mixes Celtic, Roman, and Catholic influences....
Some Christians I know also will have nothing to do with Halloween. Other Christians I know will allow their children to go trick-or-treating but not don any costume which implies a connection with the occult.
Here's what I've been wondering....Has anyone here heard of or read of any Moslems objecting to the celebration of Halloween per se, particularly in areas predominantly Moslem? Any objections at any of the public schools?
And what are your personal views about celebrating Halloween?
There are some orthodox jewish orgs which also look upon Halloween celebrations as a big mistake (of course they also look at christianity the same way)
ReplyDeleteIn France on NOv 1 on a biz trip I woke up to find everything closed. Of course, the related holiday is All Saint's Day.
Personally I don't care if people want to celebrate the birth of Caligula's horse, Incitatus. In fact, that sounds like another great excuse for a party
o/t
ReplyDeleteone of you guys needs to spread this new and very disturbing news of who has been a guest at the white house. every right thinking blog in america needs to spread this news.
http://rumcrook.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/wake-up-america-obama-is-a-radical/
Remember the Matamoros drug gang death cult 20 years ago? Well,
ReplyDeleteCNN is reporting that the cops in San Juan, Texas, found a house with a ritual chamber for Palo Mayombe/Santeria complete with nganga cauldrens full of human bones. The bones are old. Apperently they buy them on the internet from medical supply houses now. You just cannot make this stuff up.
Place looked like a tourist trap in Salem. All they needed was some guy in costume out front sacrificing rubber chickens.
Of course, it's an vast improvement over the old method, which was snatching live people off the streets. But getting your ritual gear off of eBay is just embarrassing.
I will party on Halloween in the spirit of laughing at the things that scare us, and that's about it. 20+ years of chasing down mostly dark magic cults makes anything Salem can come up with look pretty tame. (I do confess to a weakness for sexy vampires so I'm fairly tolerant of the Twilight clan. Oh damn, that means there will be "Team Edward" t-shirts all over Salem tonight, won't there...)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy all the autumn and early winter celebrations that feature light and songs and food and laughter against the coming winter darkness. One of my very favorite things is Christmas lights, especially the old-fashioned Noma lights with the big bulbs in primary colors. Also the New England custom of putting a single white light in each window of those old houses. Some areas leave them up all winter.
Rumcrook
I see Ayers and Wright got into the house. He's lucky Ayers didn't blow it up just for old times' sake. I wonder if they had to grease the doors to get Moore through them.
Rumcrook,
ReplyDeleteI linked to that posting of yours in the posting I just did at my site.
RRA,
ReplyDeleteI "celebrate" Halloween in a very subdued manner, along the lines you mentioned:
I will party on Halloween in the spirit of laughing at the things that scare us, and that's about it.
I admit that I like scary movies and scary stories -- as fantasy.
And, in general, as a part of the fall season.
AOW, coincidentally I was informed that my fifth grader was disappointed a friend (a friend never previously mentioned, or invited over or asked to go hang out with) this 'friend' would not be permitted to go trick-or-treating tonight. Without further solicitation, I was informed that this friend is muslim and the child's mom said Halloween was against their religion. I have not met this mom or child yet, but when I do, I'll see what information either is willing to offer.
ReplyDeleteThis is all new to me as well. Our family enjoys Halloween to the extent that it's fun to dress up and trick-0r-treat.
I just heard about this, this morning.
One year some people I knew in California got punked when they decided to hold a Halloween party with a vampire theme. Some joker called the cops and said it was going to be a ritual sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteSo the cops banged on the door, burst in, and demanded to see the owner of the house. Who, of course, was the honorary Dracula, cape, fangs, and all. He lifted up the coffin lid, looked at the cops and said, "I am. What's the problem?"
Things got straigtened out in short order but it did sort of drive a stake through the party atmosphere. They never did find out who punked them.