Christmas card from a MalaysianMuslim SON

Perutusan Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru dari Anwar Ibrahim

Saya ingin merakamkan ucapan Selamat Menyambut Hari Natal kepada seluruh penganut agama Kristian dan Selamat Tahun Baru 2011 kepada semua rakyat Malaysia.

Seminggu lagi, tahun 2010 akan menghampiri penghujungnya. Sebagaimana lazimnya, tiap kali menjelang tahun baru maka kita akan memperbaharui iltizam dan tekad demi menggapai impian dan matlamat yang dicita-citakan. Walaubagaimanapun, segala iltizam dan tekad yang disemai tak mungkin akan tercapai seandainya tak dibaja dengan usaha dan tindakan.

Sepanjang 2010, negara telah menyaksikan pelbagai bentuk pencabulan terhadap sistem demokrasi berparlimen, kenaikan harga barangan keperluan, fahaman jumud yang berasaskan sentimen perkauman sempit serta penindasan ke atas hak rakyat terbanyak. Semua ini menyedarkan kita untuk menilai dan merenung kembali betapa pincangnya pentadbiran kerajaan sedia ada.

Justeru, marilah kita bertekad dan beriltizam untuk sama-sama bersatu menyelamat dan memartabatkan negara ini bersempena tahun baru 2011 kelak.

Selamat Menyambut Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru 2011!

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Perutusan Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru dari Khalid Ibrahim

Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini mengucapkan Selamat Hari Natal kepada penganut agama Kristian dan juga Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Masehi kepada semua.

Hakikat bahawa sambutan Krismas ini dibuat saban tahun di Malaysia menjelaskan bagaimana kemajmukan adalah realiti yang tidak terelakkan. Ini menuntut kita semua menyedari dan mengakui kepelbagaian yang ada di samping terus berusaha memupuk persefahaman di kalangan kita.

Setiap kali tahun Masehi berakhir, ramai yang bertanya akan azam baru di samping merenung semula perjalanan hidup sepanjang tahun yang akan berlalu. Lumrahnya, manusia selalu berkeinginan kehidupannya lebih baik daripada sebelumnya.

Justeru, marilah kita bersama menanam tekad dan azam baru untuk berusaha bagi memastikan prinsip hidup bernegara dan bermasyarakat unggul dapat ditegakkan. Ini tentulah tidak semudah yang dijangka. Ia melibatkan renungan ke dalam diri sendiri di samping keupayaan meletakkan diri dalam perspektif berbeza untuk melihat bagaimana prinsip-prinsip unggul seperti persamaan hak kemanusiaan, keadilan dan kebebasan mengambil tempat dalam kompleksiti kehidupan yang ada.

Untuk sebuah pentadbiran, prinsip keadilan, pertanggungjawaban dan urus-tadbir kerajaan yang baik adalah tuntutan penting untuk dilaksanakan. Ini tidak pernah bermaksud bahawa masalah tidak akan
berlaku. Sebaliknya, ia membawa maksud bahawa dasar terbuka perlu diambil untuk berdepan dengannya dan bukan dengan menyapu sampah ke bawah tikar.

Sepanjang 2010, Kerajaan Negeri Selangor telah berjaya meningkatkan pelaburan, hasil dan penciptaan peluang pekerjaan. Selain itu, beberapa keutamaan dasar telah diambil untuk melindungi kepentingan semua pihak. Bagaimanapun, saya percaya masih banyak perkara yang boleh dilakukan dengan lebih baik, tepat dan cepat.

Akhirnya, marilah kita bersama menginsafi bahawa dalam usaha kita menjadikan kehidupan ini lebih baik, janganlah dilupakan bahawa kita semua hidup dalam realiti pelbagai yang menuntut lebih daripada kepentingan diri sendiri semata-mata.

Sekali lagi saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Perayaan Krismas dan Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru.

YAB TAN SRI ABDUL KHALID IBRAHIM

DATO' MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR

Thinking about Christmas is now far more meaningful to me on a spiritual level than it was when I was young. The fact that Muslims accept and believe in the virgin birth of Jesus has been a golden thread that links my childhood Christmas memories to my very fulfilling adult life as a Muslim.

BY MICHAEL VICENTE PEREZ AND ZEBA IQBAL, DECEMBER 8, 2010 Michael: Hi Zeba. The mid-term elections are over and, as predicted, the Park 51 controversy is also finished. But now it's time to turn to new controversies. The latest has to do with a new version of "the clash of civilizations." This time, however, the battlefield is a university swimming pool. Apparently, George Washington University's decision to grant Muslim women a "women-only" hour at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center reflects some civilizational divide between "America" and "Islam."

Michael: I figured you'd have a dog in this fight considering your alumni status. Comments on this one suggest all sorts of issues but one that caught my attention had to do with tolerance. According to one critic, "Westerners" should not have to go so far to accommodate Muslim needs. "We're doing too much for them," the argument goes. This one strikes me as doubly offensive: I'm a Westerner and Muslim (the two are not dichotomous) and I believe tolerance requires accommodations, especially those we might not like. Zeba: Hi Michael. I agree. Tolerance is the ultimate test of a pluralistic society. I'd like to add some perspective to this latest controversy. The administration's accommodation of this request is not surprising to me. The Muslim Student Association at GW is well established and has been active for over 15 years. During this time the MSA has had a good relationship with the administration. When I was there, MSA-hosted events including Friday prayers, interfaith discussions and breaking-fast dinners during Ramadan were well attended by Muslim and non-Muslim students alike, as well as employees from the nearby World Bank and IMF. Additionally, for those who are unfamiliar with the campus, GW is a small urban campus of 10 city blocks between F and Eye Streets and 20th and 24th Streets in Northwest DC. In addition to Lerner HelWel's pool, there is a pool at the Charles E Smith Center a block away. Both pools are open 50 hours weekly (not 20 hours as stated in the article); and Lerner HelWel's pool is only 3-lanes while the Smith Center pool is 8-lanes. So the controversial swim hour is 1% of the weekly swim time and the 3 lanes used by the women are less than 0.3% of the total lanes. Michael: Context is important and it's important for everyone to know that this is, in many ways, is a local issue that should be addressed by locals. It doesn't have to be a "national" issue unless we make it so. That being said, I'm wondering about the American who sees an issue like this as the beginning of a "Muslim takeover." First mosques, then pools, then it's Shariah all over the U.S. I guess I'm wondering how to say to this individual that there is a place in America for this, that it isn't just about tolerating "others." I say this because what Muslims want is not necessarily an accommodation unlike the requests and preferences of other American communities. Zeba: Michael, the last thing we want is to take over! We've all grown up with Americans of all creeds, races and religions and love America for its diversity and its religious freedom. As part of that diversity we just want to see ourselves and our beliefs reflected in America's values. It is interesting to note that in the comments section, several women noted that the women's hour resonated with them because they valued modesty and privacy and preferred to swim with other women. Regarding religious accommodation, we, along with our fellow Americans recognize Christmas and are respectful of those who keep Kosher and observe the Sabbath. In most cases, all we ask for is respect and acceptance of simple accommodations that make it easier for us to observe our faith. In no way do we seek to compromise others' rights. I will say, though, that we as a community need to try and not 'otherize' ourselves. For example, in this particular case, I would suggest that the hour is not called 'Sisters' Splash' but maybe just a women's swim hour as all women are welcome. Michael: Amen Zeba. I think your point is brilliant. Perhaps if more Americans vocalized their appreciation for things like a women's only hour at the pool, then it would be harder for the staff at Fox News to claim they speak for America. Zeba: Michael, you know how the media is always asking for the moderate Muslim voice to speak out? It sounds like we need the moderate American voice to speak out, too. (Photo: Beatriz AG)

BY KARI ANSARI, DECEMBER 24, 2010

	Putting Christ back in Christmas

HERNDON, VA

When I became a Muslim thirteen years ago this month, I left behind the Christmas traditions my family celebrated every year of my childhood. My mother was able to transform our Southern California home into a Winter Wonderland as soon as we walked in the door; it may have been 75 degrees and sunny outside, but inside we felt we were in a Currier and Ives world of red velvet beribboned pine boughs, twinkling lights and beautiful music. I loved it. The Christmas season and our small traditions remained the same no matter how many years passed. My mother worked extremely hard to build warm, and loving holiday memories, and I sincerely cherish them.

Like many American homes, there wasn't much Christ in my family's Christmas. There would always be some discussion surrounding the reason for our celebration, but we didn't attend church services or talk too much about what my parents believed. The beautiful nativity on the mantle, hand-painted by my grandmother, was flanked by tasteful, secular decorations. This led to a kind of vague confusion between the miraculous birth of Jesus, and the magical feat of Santa Claus zipping around the world in one night.

Nostalgia not withstanding, thinking about Christmas is now far more meaningful to me on a spiritual level than it was when I was young. The fact that Muslims accept and believe in the virgin birth of Jesus has been a golden thread that links my childhood Christmas memories to my very fulfilling adult life as a Muslim.

The world's more than 1.5 billion Muslims would like their Christian neighbors to know that we believe in the Annunciation; in the Quran we read that God sent the angels to Mary:

"When the angels said: O Mary, surely God gives you good news with a Word from Him of one whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near to God. And he shall speak to the people when in the cradle and when of old age, and he shall be one of the good ones." Quran 3:45-46

The Quran has only one chapter named after a woman; Chapter 19 is titled "Mary", or as it is translated in Arabic, Maryam. The Quran tells us that the infant Jesus, (or Isa as it is translated in Arabic), spoke from Mary's arms:

"...He said: Surely I am a servant of God; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and charity so long as I live; And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed; And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life (1)'" Quran 19:30-33

While Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, we believe in the awesome and miraculous birth of Jesus, in the miracles he performed by God's Grace, and in the message of love and peace Jesus brought to the world. I hope my family knows that I am more attached to the account of Jesus and Mary than I ever was as a child, now that I am a practicing Muslim. It is a vital part of my faith; a faith that I share with over a billion and a half people around the world.

This is my Christmas card to my family, and all my Christian friends and neighbors: Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

(1) Muslims understand this verse in reference to the to death of Jesus after the second coming and resurrection on the Day of Judgment. See Quran, 4:157

Kari Ansari is the co-founder of the magazine America's Muslim Family. This article was originally featured in the Huffington Post.