Christmas: The Time of Goodwill

Ishtiaq Ahmed

London: Christmas is around the corner. This is the last weekend before the festive day on 25th December.

Our Christian fellow countrymen and women will be celebrating their religious and cultural day with warmth and their customary hospitality.

For our Christian friends this is a time for religious bonding and family and community reunion. For many It is also a time for deep reflections.

Pakistan is a nation of diverse faiths and cultures. What unites us is our Pakistani-hood. What divides us are our prejudices. Our closed minds prevent us from reaching out and embracing others.

Pakistan is a majority Muslim State with significant faith minorities of Christian, Hindus, Sikhs and others nationals.

The founding father of Pakistan outlined his vision in the following terms in his memorable speech on 11th. August 1947: “You are free! You are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state,”

Yet, seventy years later, we are living in a state of hatred and fear. The vision of the founding father is still work in progress or some would argue it remains suspended.

The prime responsibility of achieving any sense of fairness and inclusiveness amongst Pakistan’s religious minorities is the state controlling Muslim majority. There is no getting away from this. The majority must create conditions for minorities to play their role in the building of the state and in so doing to create a sense of pride that is equally shared across different religious divides.

Religious festivals such as Christmas are occasions to reach out, share the warmth of occasion and celebrate the diverse religious campus of our nation. Our Christian citizens must reach out and others must reciprocate.

These are very difficult times for the country. Many of us are definitely feeling the affects of the spiralling costs of living.

For our Christian friends, many already below or on poverty threshold, the times are even harder thereby taking the edge off festivities. Therefore, spare a thought for our Christian friends.

Happy Christmas, stay safe & joyous.

The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.