Christmas

Merry Christmas & happy new year to everybody. Let me say in Arabic (Ayamkum Sa’eida) which means (wishing you happy days).

Till I finished my 9th grade at school, I didn't know what it is meant exactly by Christmas. As an Islamic community, people here don't know much about such occasions.

Still, one of the basic tenets in Islam is to believe in Jesus the Christ as a prophet. Moreover, a Muslim should believe in all prophets before Mohammed of Islam. This includes Moses and his Pentateuch (The Torah) in its main version, Abraham who is considered in Islam as the father of all prophets, Noah, and up to Adam & Eve.

Islam does not consider Jesus (Issa in Arabic) as the son of God. He is God's miracle. According to Koran, Mary the Virgin is his only human parent. And to prove this miracle, Jesus was able to talk from the very first moment of birth.

The story of Koran, about his birth, says that Mary felt she would be ashamed and disgraced by having a baby without marriage. So she abandoned her people to the desert giving birth to Jesus near a palm tree. She was puzzled about the whole matter wishing that she had not been born. At this moment the baby spoke to her saying "Don't worry mom, shake the palm tree, dates will fall down so you can eat and look there, water is welling for you to drink".

The story says in another part that the baby told her to tell her people, by signs, that she had made a vow to God not to speak for three days according to a rite or liturgy in Judaism. So she followed the instructions and when her people saw the baby in her hands, they accused her as a sinner asking for an explanation. She referred them to the baby. They replied "How can a new born baby answer us?"

People gathered at the Temple of Jerusalem to see the sinner. At this point the baby spoke to the people saying "I am the slave of God. He ordered me to praise Him and to pray to Him. God ordered me to show piety to my mother".

In some other part of Koran there are words said by Jesus as a good omen of another prophet will follow him. This prophet's name is Mohammed (the prophet of Islam).

Koran says that Jesus was not killed, but a duplicated person of his image was crucified.

Anyhow, Islam is another ethical ideology presented as a religion. It shares the many good values and principles with other religions in the world.

For the second year Iraqi Christians can not celebrate Mass in peaceful surroundings because of violence and threats.

One last word, don't look at the Islamic radicals or fundamentalists to create a perspective about Islam.

Finally, I wish you all merry Christmas, happy New Year and prosperous life.