It struck me to read that an Iraqi Muslim from Baghdad celebrated his first Christmas in 2004. Sarmad Ali, an Iraqi reporter for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a blog entry describing how he “had no idea that Christmas was on the 25th of December.” If this statement was announced by someone from the remote villages in Iraq, I wouldn’t be surprised since people there are mostly Muslims. But in Baghdad the situation was different: Christians and Muslims celebrated their feasts peacefully and happily for a long time.
In Baghdad, every December 25th, the three State Television networks under Saddam covered the Christmas Mass live on TV and celebrated the holidays with the followers of Jesus Christ willingly every year. Greetings of the holidays marked the bottom of the TV screen which showed joyful songs dedicated by Christians to their fellow Christians on the occasion. People would call the songs TV show and dedicate these songs in a live broadcast.
With all this publicity, Saramd did not know when Christmas was held. “…when we watched New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world on TV, we thought that was Christmas,” the Wall Street Journal claimed.
It is surprising how Sarmad did not notice that not only Christians celebrated Christmas, yet their Muslim friends did too. Christmas trees- the real and fake ones- along with Santa Claus’ posters and outfits were always visible to the eyes of Baghdadis. It was never kept a secret among Christians as Sarmad claims by saying his Christian colleagues in college didn’t say much about it. I remember my Christian friends in college even inviting me to their Masses and parties. When the holidays were over, they would tell us all about how they celebrated it with their friends and family.
Christmas was a holiday shared by most people, Muslims and Christians. Followers of both religions would buy Christmas trees and celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with Christians. Before Christmas day, many shop owners in Baghdad would hang the decorations on their shops' windows. Santa whom we call Baba Noel is very famous. Christian and Muslim children adore him. Like many others they think he is real because he comes at night and brings presents.
Even though this war has left some scratches in the relations among people in Baghdad, Muslims this time did not forget to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve with optimism. Many people took to the streets and bought the holiday decorations. My sister and brother-in-law bought a beautiful Christmas tree and decorated it with Baba Noel (Santa Claus.) Presents from my parents, my sister’s in-laws, aunt, and grandmother were piled under and around the tree. They all gathered, sang, celebrated and ate sweets hoping the New Year would bring happy and sweet days.
It seems that Sarmad was not interested himself in at least asking why there were Mass on TV on December 25, or why there were Baba Noel’s posters and decorations in Baghdad. He made it seem like all Iraqi Muslims were like him, unaware of when Christmas is celebrated and that only here, Muslims would realize that Christmas Eve is not New Year’s Eve! It makes me feel sad that what he said came from an Iraqi, an educated one working for a major business newspaper. Yet, when I think back of who bought the paper recently, I realize why he said what he said in this general way of speaking.
To be fair, I remember last year reading several Iraqi bloggers who seemed to confuse Christmas and New Years. I remember, at the time, finding that interesting. Of course, I can't remember exactly who it was now. I'd have to go back through all the archives of various bloggers to remember who it was. But I distinctly remember several educated Iraqi bloggers talking about the wonderful Christmas they were celebrating on Dec.31 and someone, I remember, wished their readers a "Merry Christmas" on Dec. 31.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find anything wrong with it. I wasn't upset about it or anything. But I do remember that it was more than one blogger who said it, which made me think it was more widespread than just one person making a mistake with the date. I just found it an interesting cultural thing that the two celebrations (Christmas and New Years) had been combined into one celebration by at least a certain number of Iraqis.
Mark,
ReplyDeleteThat would put those bloggers in the same category of the WSJ reporter.
He was a WSJ reporter? in what area? milking sheep? !!
ReplyDeleteI just hate those that try to win sympathy and support from Americans by bad mouthing the great country that was, Iraq. Under Saddam, they had free higher education, free health care, and people did not kill each other like these days. it was not heaven, but a lot better than now.
I agree with globalorama. Many Iraqi bloggers try to win the American sympathy by doing such things.
ReplyDeleteI remember back in 1991, I was in the fifth grade in the elementary school, a group of Christians and Muslims, including me, were taken to celebrate the Christmas in "Virgin Merry Church" in Karrada in Baghdad.
BT I agree with what you wrote. All the years I lived in Iraq both Baghdad and Amarah there were open Christmas celebrations. Santa and decorations was found in many shops!
ReplyDeleteI even remember that during this time of the year the state owned supermarket even imported a lot of sweets and other goodies that normally was not found in Iraq.
Even new years eve was huge : ) we either had relatives over or we went to them. Parties all over could be heard too.
Globalorama please don't hate them. Iraq needs less hate and more love and understanding. Some tell lies maybe just as a last way to survive. This group of people would not go around telling lies if they had food and money enough to survive.
ReplyDeleteWhat we can do is that when lies and propaganda like these turn up we answer back as BT has done.
Mark,
ReplyDeleteI left Iraq in 1994. Years before then, my Muslims friends celebrated Christmas with Christians just like the Iraqi Christians celebrated Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Iftar with them.
I used to joke that Christmas and New Year celebrations became more of a Muslim tradition than a Christian tradition in Iraq as two of my Muslim friends celebrated the season with a big Christmas decorated tree in their homes.
Fayrouz and other Iraqis here too, I am sure you also remember the fake snow that some shops sprayed on their windows : )
ReplyDeleteI always got a day free from school during Christmas so I could celebrated it with my family. My father was born into a Muslim family and my mother into a Christian one.
My younger sister went with her friends to church during these days and even other times too.
Nadia,
ReplyDeleteWe also faked the snow on the tree itself. Cotton came handy for this purpose :-)
I posted a comment on that story, saying that we all knew what Christmas was and many families celebrated it. But the Journal, unfortunately, did not publish it with the other comments. They did not publish any comment that disagreed with the lie that they published.
ReplyDeleteAnd the writer was offended and sent me an email saying that I was trying to attack him personally and that maybe I lived in a Christian neighborhood in Baghdad, and that's why I knew about Christmas.
Here was my reply to him:
Sarmad,
I really don’t think there was any kind of attack in my comment on your piece. In fact I said that my intention was not to embarrass anyone and I only wanted to tell my side of the story.
I did not grow up in a “Christian neighborhood.” I grew up near Muheet, in Kadhumiya and moved to Jamiya neighborhood when I was 13. So, that means I did not live in what you call Christian neighborhoods.
As I said in my reply, most Iraqis knew what Christmas is because if they didn’t have Christian friends, they saw the services on TV because the Iraqi channel aired it live every year.
Most Iraqis know that churches are open to everyone, because they can try and see if that’s true or not.
Now, maybe you did not want to mix with Christians, or maybe you did not want to watch the services on TV and you did not want to go into a church and see if you will be allowed in, but that doesn’t mean that Iraqis don’t know what Christmas is or don’t have Christian friends, which is what the reader would get from reading your piece.
Your personal experience should not be generalized and taken as the experience of all Iraqis, which is what the reader would get from your piece. if you want to tell your readers your personal story, make it clear that it is, which what you did not do in your piece.
I am sorry you were offended by what I said. But you know, and anyone who read my comment, that I did not intend to offend anyone and I clearly said that. Plus, in this time and age of growing citizen journalism, I have the right to comment on any story I wish to comment on with no restrictions as long as I am polite and to the point. I believe the Wall Street Journal believes in this right too, and that’s why they have the comment section on their stories.
Respectfully,
Omar …
Omar that comment of yours was indeed needed as a reply to the article!
ReplyDeleteOmar,
ReplyDeleteMany of my Muslim friends and neighbours attended church with us from time to time. Sometimes to pray to Mother Mary and other times just to see how we pray. So yes, churches were opened to everyone.
On Christmas day in Basra, the Imams and prominant city officials would visit the priests after mass to wish them a happy Christmas.
Once Imam of Al-Basra mosque arrived while we were still at mass. So, he entered the church and sat in the pew at the back of the church until the mass ended.
Well speaking of Christmas, if Santa was around in Iraq these days, they would kidnap and kill his reindeer, Santa's sleigh would be turned in to an IED, Mrs. Claus would have to wear a hejab, and the Elves would be working for the Maliki government...
ReplyDelete"if Santa was around in Iraq these days, they would kidnap and kill his reindeer, Santa's sleigh would be turned in to an IED, Mrs. Claus would have to wear a hejab, and the Elves would be working for the Maliki government..."
ReplyDeleteWell, he was in my sister's house in central Baghdad and nothing happened to him!! He brought candy and presents to my niece!! I am afraid you are talking about the other Santa who went to the Green Zone giving bullets and weapons (oops, I meant presents) to Blackwater and the monkeys they protect to kill innocent people or more dogs of American newspaper's bureaus!
Mrs. Claus wouldn't be forced to wear the hijab, just the Iranian-influenced policewomen would do.
ReplyDeleteThis post and the comments are very interesting! This is the first time that I have read about Christmas being celebrated in Iraq by both Christians and Muslims.
ReplyDeleteMost Americans are probably completely ignorant of this information. We are now past the holiday season, but this topic might make for a good newspaper article in Dec 2008, one that avoids the mistakes of the WSJ article.
Fayrouz said...
"On Christmas day in Basra, the Imams and prominant city officials would visit the priests after mass to wish them a happy Christmas.
Once Imam of Al-Basra mosque arrived while we were still at mass. So, he entered the church and sat in the pew at the back of the church until the mass ended."
Given the current terribly repressive situation in Basra, I don't suppose that there is much good will between Christians and Muslims any more. If so, that is really sad!
David,
ReplyDeleteThe killing militias in Basra can't kill the good spirit of the Basrawi people.
The goodwill between Basrawi Muslims and Christians is still there. I know this from following the Iraqi Christian sites that publishes articles written by their Basrawi correspondents.
I've seen more pictures of Iraqi Muslims attending Christmas mass at Iraqi churches this year than any other year. This tells us Iraqis are fed up with the killing machines in Iraq that want to shred the fabric of the Iraqi population.
Hi Fayrouz, thanks very much for your comment. I am always glad to hear some good news from Iraq. The goodwill that you speak of and the interfaith Christmas mass are hopeful signs. I am glad for the people of Basra that have reached their hands out to each other. I hope such goodwill will grow this year!
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteWe need to distinguish between the average Iraqis who get along with each other regardless of their ethnic group and between the different militias and insurgents who want to break Iraq apart.
Just to give you an example. My cousin in Baghdad spent last summer in Kurdistan with her husband and kids. She left her home in the hands of her Muslim neighbor even though she has Christian neighbors. This tells us average Iraqis still trust each other.
From reading his 'article', I would believe that he was raised in a very religiously conservative household and school. Religious extremists tend to teach their children to fear/avoid other religions/sects. Extremely religious households discourage their children from having anything to do with anything or anyone related to an opposing view. I have seen families that refuse televisions or radios in their homes. Their children go to school with people of their same belief and all activities are structured and strictly monitored. It would be very easy for that child to not have a clue that Christmas even existed let alone what the date was. If he were to question anything there would be a good chance that he was quickly shushed and it would be made clear that curiosity about other's beliefs was not wise.
ReplyDeleteI distinctly remember several educated Iraqi bloggers talking about the wonderful Christmas they were celebrating on Dec.31 and someone, I remember, wished their readers a "Merry Christmas" on Dec. 31.
ReplyDeleteNot all Christians celebrate Christmas on the 25th. Catholics do, but in other churches the day varies, maybe that's why?
Thanks for this post.