All Comments (14)

Dear Mr Njang

Thank you for your nice essay and the information you shared about real Christian-Muslim sharing.

Growing up in India, I have memories of celebrating different festivals with people of other religions, sharing our specialty sweets with neigbhours and friends. My group of friends in school were mostly Hindus. We thought it was great that we all had so many ocassions to celebrate at different times (even different groups of Hindus celebrate different festivals - Diwali (not celebrated by Keralites), Vishu and Onam (Keralites only), Durga Pooja (mostly in the North), Pongal (Tamils only ) etc.

I wish you a Happy Eid and a Happy New Year 2008! May you get to celebrate Christmas with some of your Christian friends and may your Christian friends get to celebrate Eid with you and your family!

Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia

well, now i know, HAPPY EVERY DAY JACOB!

Ooops, The abve is For Sista(s): V*I*C*T*O*R*I*A, et al!

Remember: BIOFINITE DEATH is never O.U.R. TRANSFINITE DEATH! In Shala Allah! Ya.

Mahabar me Sistar(s), Family et al;

Yes,We "ECLAT" [a Brilliance bursting forth, aka the FIAST LUX miracle never a SIN in ANY Creature Language, nor their Humate made Scriprures]

Plus (+) "i" (you) or "I" + "i" = Reality [TRANSFINITY] Philosophy & a NEW SONG via Photons (not light) is how this LIFE [aka PHOTONS} is thought and enjoyed until Space Ship Momma Poppa Holy Cosmic EARTH too will go 'POOF-TIME'. note: TIME=Temperature not clock nor space time!

WE Eclati-On's arenot born in SIN never is Birth , Contrary to ADAM (Father & Husband of EVE) story nor any Noah Drunkin Racist story will rule the future Space-Forth & Future-Bound Generations!

ALL PREAPOCALYPTIC 'Faith' base systems of the PISCES AGE will be extinct!

PREDICTION: Between this year & upto JUNE 2008, Mr. OSAMA BIN LADEN will be [Dead or Alive] and thus the world will prevail against SATANIC folks & their IDIOTology so to spaketh!

Happy Every Day. [HED}!

Alaikim Asaalaimoo

You are Beautiful & a True American! Alah Karim! Ya Ya!

< ?: +) Eeeee Haaaaaaaaa me fellow New Yorker(s)!

Eid el Adha is a rare commemoration of a Judeo-Christian event by the Moslems, specifically the sacrifice of Isaac, by Abraham. Abraham is a Father of all three Great Religions. He is above all the father of faith in the One God. The God Abraham believed in was not a God of terrorism, though. This makes me wonder how the great Scholar of Islam, Mr. Nyang, feels about Bin Laden and his likes? How can he, for instance, explain the yesterday's bombing in Pakistan, during Eid el Adha prayer service, where more than 50 women and children were blown up into smithereens by a Moslem? Did not the Islamic terrorist know, in his twisted mind, that prayer service was evoking Abraham's sacrifice of his son? Terrorism was not the religion that Abraham practiced! Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son, to honor the will of God that was Just and Loving! The thousands of Islamic terrorists, Bin Laden included, seem to sacrifice to a different "God" - the "God" of indiscriminate murder! I wonder how Mr. Nyang feels about that.

Eid el Adha is a rare commemoration of a Judeo-Christian event by the Moslems, specifically the sacrifice of Isaac, by Abraham. Abraham is a Father of all three Great Religions. He is above all the father of faith in the One God. The God Abraham believed in was not a God of terrorism, though. This makes me wonder how the great Scholar of Islam, Mr. Nyang, feels about Bin Laden and his likes? How can he, for instance, explain the yesterday's bombing in Pakistan, during Eid el Adha prayer service, where more than 50 women and children were blown up into smithereens by a Moslem? Did not the Islamic terrorist know, in his twisted mind, that prayer service was evoking Abraham's sacrifice of his son? Terrorism was not the religion that Abraham practiced! Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son, to honor the will of God that was Just and Loving! The thousands of Islamic terrorists, Bin Laden included, seem to sacrifice to a different "God" - the "God" of indiscriminate murder! I wonder how Mr. Nyang feels about that.

a salaamu alaikum (peace of the god be with you)
brother nyang and sister jihadist and eid mubarak to you

thank you jacob- and some warm fuzzy greeting of peace right back at you-
i dont know what eclations say-
just fill it in with the nicest thing you can think of-

i loved hearing about these experiences-
live and learn, eh?

paganplace- you should make that venture-
just about any good thing youd say will be received with the spirit given, id think-

i can only speak for myself- but ive been vomited and defecated upon, and still never felt soiled by any contact with any other humans-

can i ask why you have that impression?

maybe theres some subliminal cultural message people are giving theyre not aware of-

jacob- you are an ex-international smuggler?

you certainly are a colorful character

Amazing. In 'Arabic' MIZAN=BALANCE!

Please See attached Wiki expression )not Absolute) , Shookron 'Brethren' [ACH] Nyang, et al!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_festival

note: As an Ex-International Smuggler , "i" must say, that iy was on "EID" (mumbarik) when "i" met his Honorable BHUTTO of PAKISTAN , back in the 1970's when "i" shook his Prime Ministers Hand [pbuh] on "CLIFTON BEACH" (Karachi) before ' Mr. Al Quaida lover "ZIA Al HAQUE " murdered (via SHARIA , falsley His Mejesty) for some 'SuperStupidStitious' inexusible Act(s)!

Yet, "i" askethy, for how & for whom his (Todays Primeminister, ex Militart mon) MUZSHARIF had his hand in all, this!

Father BHUTTO said, "Pakistan is the VANGUARD of ISLAM!" [Similar said in the 1970's before 'ZIA Ak Haq' killed Mr. Poppa Bhutto , et al].

So Happy 'EID' to all! ???? Ya Ya! ????

Mahabar 'ach' Sulyman Happy EID to All good HUMATES! Ya Ya!

PEACE, PAZ, SHOLOM, SALAAM and in other tongues LOVE, Good Health & Properity to all!

Happy Every day!

I always wondered, actually, Athena, if there was an appropriate well-wishing for Muslims, ...one gets the general idea they think things are 'solied' if you touch them, so I haven't ventured to try.

Seems to me that the kids that joined in the Christmas proceedings even though they were Muslim were just looking for another reason to have fun. Nothing wrong with that!

Happy Eid (I guess that's the right greeting) to you and yours, Mr. Nyang!

The way I see it, Joet, is that though for most *Christians* the trees and wreaths and mistletoe and all that are intertwined with celebrating the birth of Jesus, ...they were originally about the season and continue to be, and thus make a wonderful bridge, as in America they've become part of the seasonal celebration as they originally *were.*

The trees and all aren't in the Bible, and for this, many Christians have tried to *eradicate* the traditions. (In fact, this is a classic case of missionaries *appropriating for the new religion what they just couldn't suppress.*)

In America, the Christians have a certain *internal* conflict between their own belief it's only OK if it's somehow about Jesus, and the fact it really doesn't quite mesh, unless it's really *connected* with the sense of earth-tradition, returning light, and all that.

These are things that non-Christians can share in just fine, just as once Christians shared in those 'Pagan' customs in their own turn.

It's not meant to be a source of division.

I think the consumerism of it all, which Christians at once decry and helplessly participate in, is an expression of that internal conflict. Unfortunately it's something that some have chosen to *externalize,* ...continuing to buy, buy, buy, only with 'Seculars and liberals and Pagans and Jews And PC' to *blame* for their own *"sins."*

I don't think it's supposed to be about *that,* either.

Now, Christians here in America are trying to 'Put the Christ back' in something that never was *about* that Christ, in the first place. *For* him, in *honor* of him, in the hearts of so many Christians in recent history, yet, not *from* him.

There's kind of an interesting sort of 'Misrule' element about it, when this becomes the time of year when they stop calling Pagans 'dirty hippie commies' and start blaming us for *their* consumer excesses. :)

Really, folks, ease up.

J seems to be describing how it's very possible to do so.

Let's not fight this year, shall we?

You make an interesting point, which I had not focused on before, that Santa, and trees and gifts and all that, while sort of inextricably intertwined with the christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, is quite distinguishable from it, to the extent that one could say Merry Christmas and be referring to Santa Claus, etc., not Jesus.

Of course to point out that that would solve the problem posted by the Faith Page moderator would be too easy. But it is interesting that christians act as if Santa and the tree and the presents are part of their party as if that would make any attack on same harder to mount.

Mr. Sulayman Nyang,

Who could not love any kind of cultural and religious festivities, to share one's own with others, and to welcome invitations by others to share theirs?

I am taken aback by the so-called "War on Christmas" and "War on Christmas Greetings". Perhaps because living in a country where while the issues on race and religion can be contentious and emotional, the festivities associated with the various religious and ethnic groups are celebrated together through "open houses", exchanges of verbal and card greetings.

I have not come across a Malaysian Muslim who did not beam with delight when a Chinese say "Happy New Year!" to him during the Chinese New Year, or a Christian who say "Merry Christmas!". Who could not be delighted and charmed by greetings from others happy to share his festivities' joy with you?

Of course Muslims cheerfully say Happy Diwali or Merry Christmas or Happy New Year, (both Chinese and Gregorian) to one another as it will be long public holidays for those festive celebrations for all Malaysians. The great shopping with sales and bargains during the festive season and holiday breaks to vacations spots are reason for joy too. Not to mention to sample specific food associated with the festivies one is invited to.

The only instance where a Malaysian made a fuss on giving religiously related holiday greeting cards, he was publicly ridiculed. There's too long a tradition of wishing each other happiness in their festivities verbally and through cards, of inviting others to open houses during the festivities, of giving hampers as gifts. You have no idea how many oranges one receive during Chinese New Year from the Chinese during the Chinese New Year season.

The Muslim calender, being lunar, keep moving dates for Muslim celebrations such Eid El Fitr and Eid El Adha in the Gregorian calendar. There have been occassions when both concided with either Chinese New Year and Diwali (known as Deepavali in Malaysia).

Once when the Chinese New Year dates was really close to Eid El Fitr, enterprising greeting cards makers came out with "Selamat Kongsi Raya"(Best Wishes for Kongsi Raya) greeting cards - "Kongsi" being a Malaysian Chinese word for share/join, and "Raya" being the Malay Muslim word for Eid.

Another time when Diwali/Deepavali was really close to Eid El Fitr, greeting cards were sold with "Selamat Deeparaya" greetings - Best wishes for Deeparaya. These cards sold very, very well.

Needless to say, like all Malaysians, I do think time and money spent on festivities is money well spent for good cheer and camaradarie with all. We like to eat with family, friends and colleagues and any reason is good for sharing celebrations that is good for the soul.

Happy Eid El Adha, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too.

Thank you and best regards

"J"