☀️ JOIN SPN MOBILE
Forums
New posts
Guru Granth Sahib
Composition, Arrangement & Layout
ਜਪੁ | Jup
ਸੋ ਦਰੁ | So Dar
ਸੋਹਿਲਾ | Sohilaa
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਿਰੀਰਾਗੁ | Raag Siree-Raag
Gurbani (14-53)
Ashtpadiyan (53-71)
Gurbani (71-74)
Pahre (74-78)
Chhant (78-81)
Vanjara (81-82)
Vaar Siri Raag (83-91)
Bhagat Bani (91-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਝ | Raag Maajh
Gurbani (94-109)
Ashtpadi (109)
Ashtpadiyan (110-129)
Ashtpadi (129-130)
Ashtpadiyan (130-133)
Bara Maha (133-136)
Din Raen (136-137)
Vaar Maajh Ki (137-150)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗਉੜੀ | Raag Gauree
Gurbani (151-185)
Quartets/Couplets (185-220)
Ashtpadiyan (220-234)
Karhalei (234-235)
Ashtpadiyan (235-242)
Chhant (242-249)
Baavan Akhari (250-262)
Sukhmani (262-296)
Thittee (296-300)
Gauree kii Vaar (300-323)
Gurbani (323-330)
Ashtpadiyan (330-340)
Baavan Akhari (340-343)
Thintteen (343-344)
Vaar Kabir (344-345)
Bhagat Bani (345-346)
ਰਾਗੁ ਆਸਾ | Raag Aasaa
Gurbani (347-348)
Chaupaday (348-364)
Panchpadde (364-365)
Kaafee (365-409)
Aasaavaree (409-411)
Ashtpadiyan (411-432)
Patee (432-435)
Chhant (435-462)
Vaar Aasaa (462-475)
Bhagat Bani (475-488)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੂਜਰੀ | Raag Goojaree
Gurbani (489-503)
Ashtpadiyan (503-508)
Vaar Gujari (508-517)
Vaar Gujari (517-526)
ਰਾਗੁ ਦੇਵਗੰਧਾਰੀ | Raag Dayv-Gandhaaree
Gurbani (527-536)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਹਾਗੜਾ | Raag Bihaagraa
Gurbani (537-556)
Chhant (538-548)
Vaar Bihaagraa (548-556)
ਰਾਗੁ ਵਡਹੰਸ | Raag Wadhans
Gurbani (557-564)
Ashtpadiyan (564-565)
Chhant (565-575)
Ghoriaan (575-578)
Alaahaniiaa (578-582)
Vaar Wadhans (582-594)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੋਰਠਿ | Raag Sorath
Gurbani (595-634)
Asatpadhiya (634-642)
Vaar Sorath (642-659)
ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ | Raag Dhanasaree
Gurbani (660-685)
Astpadhiya (685-687)
Chhant (687-691)
Bhagat Bani (691-695)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਤਸਰੀ | Raag Jaitsree
Gurbani (696-703)
Chhant (703-705)
Vaar Jaitsaree (705-710)
Bhagat Bani (710)
ਰਾਗੁ ਟੋਡੀ | Raag Todee
ਰਾਗੁ ਬੈਰਾੜੀ | Raag Bairaaree
ਰਾਗੁ ਤਿਲੰਗ | Raag Tilang
Gurbani (721-727)
Bhagat Bani (727)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸੂਹੀ | Raag Suhi
Gurbani (728-750)
Ashtpadiyan (750-761)
Kaafee (761-762)
Suchajee (762)
Gunvantee (763)
Chhant (763-785)
Vaar Soohee (785-792)
Bhagat Bani (792-794)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਿਲਾਵਲੁ | Raag Bilaaval
Gurbani (795-831)
Ashtpadiyan (831-838)
Thitteen (838-840)
Vaar Sat (841-843)
Chhant (843-848)
Vaar Bilaaval (849-855)
Bhagat Bani (855-858)
ਰਾਗੁ ਗੋਂਡ | Raag Gond
Gurbani (859-869)
Ashtpadiyan (869)
Bhagat Bani (870-875)
ਰਾਗੁ ਰਾਮਕਲੀ | Raag Ramkalee
Ashtpadiyan (902-916)
Gurbani (876-902)
Anand (917-922)
Sadd (923-924)
Chhant (924-929)
Dakhnee (929-938)
Sidh Gosat (938-946)
Vaar Ramkalee (947-968)
ਰਾਗੁ ਨਟ ਨਾਰਾਇਨ | Raag Nat Narayan
Gurbani (975-980)
Ashtpadiyan (980-983)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਲੀ ਗਉੜਾ | Raag Maalee Gauraa
Gurbani (984-988)
Bhagat Bani (988)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਾਰੂ | Raag Maaroo
Gurbani (889-1008)
Ashtpadiyan (1008-1014)
Kaafee (1014-1016)
Ashtpadiyan (1016-1019)
Anjulian (1019-1020)
Solhe (1020-1033)
Dakhni (1033-1043)
ਰਾਗੁ ਤੁਖਾਰੀ | Raag Tukhaari
Bara Maha (1107-1110)
Chhant (1110-1117)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕੇਦਾਰਾ | Raag Kedara
Gurbani (1118-1123)
Bhagat Bani (1123-1124)
ਰਾਗੁ ਭੈਰਉ | Raag Bhairo
Gurbani (1125-1152)
Partaal (1153)
Ashtpadiyan (1153-1167)
ਰਾਗੁ ਬਸੰਤੁ | Raag Basant
Gurbani (1168-1187)
Ashtpadiyan (1187-1193)
Vaar Basant (1193-1196)
ਰਾਗੁ ਸਾਰਗ | Raag Saarag
Gurbani (1197-1200)
Partaal (1200-1231)
Ashtpadiyan (1232-1236)
Chhant (1236-1237)
Vaar Saarang (1237-1253)
ਰਾਗੁ ਮਲਾਰ | Raag Malaar
Gurbani (1254-1293)
Partaal (1265-1273)
Ashtpadiyan (1273-1278)
Chhant (1278)
Vaar Malaar (1278-91)
Bhagat Bani (1292-93)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਾਨੜਾ | Raag Kaanraa
Gurbani (1294-96)
Partaal (1296-1318)
Ashtpadiyan (1308-1312)
Chhant (1312)
Vaar Kaanraa
Bhagat Bani (1318)
ਰਾਗੁ ਕਲਿਆਨ | Raag Kalyaan
Gurbani (1319-23)
Ashtpadiyan (1323-26)
ਰਾਗੁ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਤੀ | Raag Prabhaatee
Gurbani (1327-1341)
Ashtpadiyan (1342-51)
ਰਾਗੁ ਜੈਜਾਵੰਤੀ | Raag Jaijaiwanti
Gurbani (1352-53)
Salok | Gatha | Phunahe | Chaubole | Swayiye
Sehskritee Mahala 1
Sehskritee Mahala 5
Gaathaa Mahala 5
Phunhay Mahala 5
Chaubolae Mahala 5
Shaloks Bhagat Kabir
Shaloks Sheikh Farid
Swaiyyae Mahala 5
Swaiyyae in Praise of Gurus
Shaloks in Addition To Vaars
Shalok Ninth Mehl
Mundavanee Mehl 5
ਰਾਗ ਮਾਲਾ, Raag Maalaa
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
Latest activity
Videos
New media
New comments
Library
Latest reviews
Donate
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Welcome to all New Sikh Philosophy Network Forums!
Explore Sikh Sikhi Sikhism...
Sign up
Log in
Discussions
Interfaith Dialogues
Say Merry Christmas Without Worry
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="spnadmin" data-source="post: 138211" data-attributes="member: 35"><p><strong>Say Merry Christmas Without Worry</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry" target="_blank">http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry</a></p><p></p><p>As an observant Muslim, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah. I believe that Christmas, more than any other religious holiday, has been under attack the last few years, and I want to lend my support to those who want to wish each other Merry Christmas.</p><p></p><p>For a pluralistic nation that prides itself on embracing freedom of expression and an unofficial separation of church and state, the widespread public celebration of Christmas poses a unique quandary.</p><p></p><p>The solution of course is to look to our foundation as a pluralistic nation that embraces freedoms of expression and religion, but be cognizant that we do not impose our beliefs on other people. We have to embrace the religions and cultures of everyone; that means embrace with both arms! Let’s celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Eid and Diwali as joyous holidays and without worry of offence.</p><p></p><p>Successive years of legal action by civil libertarians in the U.S., and a less formal campaign in Canada, have diminished the public promotion of all things Christmas, giving rise to the more politically correct — and judicially safe — “holiday” observances.</p><p></p><p>Efforts to remove Christmas from the holiday season have bordered on ridiculous. City halls and provincial legislatures have erected “holiday trees.” A Toronto judge had a Christmas tree removed from a courthouse’s reception area to the staff room to avoid offending non-Christians. Schools have “winter family festivals” rather than Christmas concerts, at which carols and Santa songs are avoided. Hamilton city hall has removed the large Merry Christmas sign from the escarpment. De-legitimizing the religious aspects of Christmas robs all of us of our respective religious and cultural freedoms.</p><p></p><p>People are starting to get fed up and are revolting against what they see as hypersensitivity or political correctness gone amok. My issue is that the people that are often the targets of these revolts — Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus — are not the ones who are pushing the politically correct agenda. These communities do not want to see Christmas undone; rather, they want a seat at the religious celebration table. In other words, the inevitable backlash against these minority religious communities is unfair and unwarranted.</p><p></p><p>It seems that those who want to dilute the Christmas aspects of December fall into two broad categories: Well-intentioned and considerate Christians who do not want to offend non-Christians by having such overt displays of their religion since we live in a multicultural and multi-denominational society; and lapsed Christians or atheists who have left their church and who want to see any and all evidence of public religion removed. Their understanding of secularism is the eradication of all things religious, including Christmas.</p><p></p><p>The point is that those who have declared war on Christmas are not Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs (even though we often get blamed for it). The position of these three minority faith communities (and perhaps other faith communities as well) is that everyone should be entitled to celebrate their religious holidays in the public domain.</p><p></p><p>In other words, instead of eradicating all evidence of religious celebrations, let’s recognize and celebrate them all, and not exclude any. Christians should not have to be asked to dilute their religious observances on Christmas. At the same time, we need to start inviting Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus to offer their prayers and graces at community functions.</p><p></p><p>So feel free to wish your neighbour/friend/co-worker a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyful Kwanza, Eid Mubarak, Happy Diwali and/or a Happy New Year. If someone wishes you a Merry Christmas, Eid Mubarak or Happy Diwali, do not be offended. They are merely trying to share their joy with you, not trying to convert you to their beliefs.</p><p></p><p>A true pluralistic society embraces all religious expressions.</p><p></p><p>Freelance columnist Hussein Hamdani lives in Burlington, and works as a lawyer in Hamilton.<a href="http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry" target="_blank"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry" target="_blank"></a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="spnadmin, post: 138211, member: 35"] [B]Say Merry Christmas Without Worry[/B] [URL]http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry[/URL] As an observant Muslim, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah. I believe that Christmas, more than any other religious holiday, has been under attack the last few years, and I want to lend my support to those who want to wish each other Merry Christmas. For a pluralistic nation that prides itself on embracing freedom of expression and an unofficial separation of church and state, the widespread public celebration of Christmas poses a unique quandary. The solution of course is to look to our foundation as a pluralistic nation that embraces freedoms of expression and religion, but be cognizant that we do not impose our beliefs on other people. We have to embrace the religions and cultures of everyone; that means embrace with both arms! Let’s celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Eid and Diwali as joyous holidays and without worry of offence. Successive years of legal action by civil libertarians in the U.S., and a less formal campaign in Canada, have diminished the public promotion of all things Christmas, giving rise to the more politically correct — and judicially safe — “holiday” observances. Efforts to remove Christmas from the holiday season have bordered on ridiculous. City halls and provincial legislatures have erected “holiday trees.” A Toronto judge had a Christmas tree removed from a courthouse’s reception area to the staff room to avoid offending non-Christians. Schools have “winter family festivals” rather than Christmas concerts, at which carols and Santa songs are avoided. Hamilton city hall has removed the large Merry Christmas sign from the escarpment. De-legitimizing the religious aspects of Christmas robs all of us of our respective religious and cultural freedoms. People are starting to get fed up and are revolting against what they see as hypersensitivity or political correctness gone amok. My issue is that the people that are often the targets of these revolts — Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus — are not the ones who are pushing the politically correct agenda. These communities do not want to see Christmas undone; rather, they want a seat at the religious celebration table. In other words, the inevitable backlash against these minority religious communities is unfair and unwarranted. It seems that those who want to dilute the Christmas aspects of December fall into two broad categories: Well-intentioned and considerate Christians who do not want to offend non-Christians by having such overt displays of their religion since we live in a multicultural and multi-denominational society; and lapsed Christians or atheists who have left their church and who want to see any and all evidence of public religion removed. Their understanding of secularism is the eradication of all things religious, including Christmas. The point is that those who have declared war on Christmas are not Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs (even though we often get blamed for it). The position of these three minority faith communities (and perhaps other faith communities as well) is that everyone should be entitled to celebrate their religious holidays in the public domain. In other words, instead of eradicating all evidence of religious celebrations, let’s recognize and celebrate them all, and not exclude any. Christians should not have to be asked to dilute their religious observances on Christmas. At the same time, we need to start inviting Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus to offer their prayers and graces at community functions. So feel free to wish your neighbour/friend/co-worker a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyful Kwanza, Eid Mubarak, Happy Diwali and/or a Happy New Year. If someone wishes you a Merry Christmas, Eid Mubarak or Happy Diwali, do not be offended. They are merely trying to share their joy with you, not trying to convert you to their beliefs. A true pluralistic society embraces all religious expressions. Freelance columnist Hussein Hamdani lives in Burlington, and works as a lawyer in Hamilton.[URL="http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/298977--say-merry-christmas-without-worry"] [/URL] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Discussions
Interfaith Dialogues
Say Merry Christmas Without Worry
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top