Muslims juggle their faith around Christmas culture

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Monday, Dec. 29, 2003 | 11:48 a.m.

A day after millions nationwide celebrated a holiday rooted in the birth of Christ, hundreds of Muslims in mosques around the Las Vegas Valley said their weekly prayers to Allah.

It was like any other Friday at the Jamia Masjid mosque on East Desert Inn Road -- the largest of three mosques in the valley serving a Muslim community estimated at 10,000.

Nearly 300 men and about 100 women, from Pakistan, Syria, India, Nigeria, the United States and other countries, listened to a sermon and then prayed.

But it also turned out to be an occasion to explain to outsiders who were visiting the differences -- and similarities -- between Muslims and Christians.

As well, the day fell under the shadow of recent terrorist threats linked to the extremist Muslim group, al-Qaida, drawing local followers of the faith to point out where they stood on terrorism.

"These are very challenging times," said Dr. Khaliq Baig, a member of the mosque and a founder of the Islamic Information Center at 4634 S. Maryland Parkway.

"Those people from Sept. 11 were supposedly Muslims -- but we don't believe in killing other people," he said.

"The average Muslim here gets up in the morning, gets on the highway, goes to work and tries to bring food home at night ... just like anybody else," he said.

Baig said, "We understand that the security at the airport is for the benefit of everybody. At the same time we know this country has seen terrorists that weren't Muslims, like the Oklahoma bombings."

Baig and others feel that following a faith that doesn't include celebrating Christmas has sometimes meant feeling different this time of year -- especially for those who immigrated to the U.S. from countries where Muslims are more numerous.

For some, like Dr. Hisham Hito, of Syria, Christmastime has meant having a foot in two cultures.

"I gave my kids a Christmas tree to blend in with the culture ... and then I explained to them that we're different as well," he said.

Shahid Azmat, from Pakistan, took a similar position.

"Our religion doesn't forbid us from giving gifts, so I gave presents to my children," he said.

Mukarrum Iqbal, Baig's 11-year-old nephew visiting from Manchester, England, said he doesn't feel bad when he sees his friends receiving Christmas gifts back home.

Iqbal said that Muslims have Eid -- a special time that comes at the end of Ramadan, a time of fasting and prayer -- for exchanging gifts. Like other days in the Islamic calendar, Eid is determined by the cycles of the moon and falls on a different day each year. This year it fell near Thanksgiving.

"We get presents on Eid just like my friends do on Christmas, so it doesn't matter," Iqbal said.

Another thing several Muslims at the mosque said Friday is that they feel kinship with Christians when it comes to the birth of Christ. The Quran -- the holy book of the Muslims -- tells the story of Jesus' birth, Hito said.

"Jesus and Mary are mentioned often in the Quran," he said. Muslims see Jesus as a prophet. However, not a son of God.

Baig said he sees the meaning in Christmas because of the importance of Jesus. But he doesn't agree with the frenzy surrounding Christmas shopping.

"Christmas as the birth of Christ is one thing, but as the commercialization of something is another," he said.

The physician, who works at a UMC Quick Care, said he felt bad seeing how much money receptionists and others in his office spent on Christmas.

"They make $8 to $10 an hour and are spending $1,000 on Christmas gifts," he said. "This seems wrong somehow."

Dr. Mohammed Shafi of India said the important thing for him and his family is "to be aware of this society's traditions and be respectful."

Shafi said he gives his neighbors Christmas gifts but explains to his four children that they don't follow the same practice.

"My children understand that what is being celebrated is by people of another faith," he said.

Then there are Muslims who were born in the United States into families of other faiths who converted to Islam as adults.

Mustafa Yunus, a 53-year-old from Detroit, became a Muslim 10 years ago and now directs the day-to-day affairs of the Islamic Information Center.

Yunus said his large extended family has come to understand his faith at Christmas and other times.

"I was very honest with my nieces and nephews and told them I don't exchange presents," he said.

But he does take advantage of the holidays to visit with all of the children in his family who are off from school.

"And when I visit them, they know it's to visit them, not to share Christmas," he said.

Yunus, as with all Muslims, also doesn't celebrate his birthday -- which falls on the day before Christmas.

This year, as with every year, there was an exception for Yunus, however -- his 74-year-old mother. She sent him some pots and pans and a blender from Grand Rapids, Mich.

"She's the only one who gets around it," Yunus said.