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Monday, December 8th marked the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha. It commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah and coincides this year with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

As my Muslim friend and co-worker pointed out, she did not get the day off. She could use a personal day, but why should she have to? She and I have recently engaged in what we learned at sensitivity training were “courageous conversations” around this very issue ever since I brought in a Christmas CD early last month. She jokingly declares I am trying to covert her, and I sheepishly insist Christmas is just as much a secular as religious holiday (e.g., Christmas trees, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman, etc). Her retort: even the secular would not exist but for the religious tradition.

Well-taken.

credit: Jeff Weston

What’s Wrong With My Prophet?

I thanked her for helping highlight something I had never considered: my religious privilege. If I come to work with a Christmas CD, it gets no side glances and risks no embarrassment (aside from people who just think it is cheesy). I received an email from the not-for-profit corporation that raises money for our agency asking that we purchase a holiday CD by the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus to raise funds. No eyebrows raised. Everyone gets Christmas off. We usually get sent home early on Christmas Eve.

My friend should have been off. She should have been able to join in prayer with others of the faith at a mosque, followed by a feast and fellowship. Instead she is at work, preparing for trial, and her husband at a local hospital doing the doctor thing.

I think the notion that she use personal or vacation time is unfair because I do not have to do that for the religious holiday that accompanies my faith. Additionally, here in Miami, I get most of the Jewish holidays off. Interestingly, the first Amendment requires that the government be neutral as to religion. It may not prefer one over the other, nor establish a religion.

I am a fortunate beneficiary of the Judeo-Christian religious foundation in this country and I appreciate the time off in observance of its special days. If freedom of religion includes such observance of my faith, I believe it includes the observance of all faiths. I recognize there may be innumerable faiths and there would be an influx in claims to a right to have time off from work were that the case. Still, I think this is the requirement of the Constitution, otherwise certain religions are being preferred.

Ultimately, I see no harm to the practice and appreciation of my own faith in opening up holiday recognition to all those who would seek to honor theirs the same way. As a practical matter, perhaps employers (local and state, federal and private) could allot a certain amount of days per year for each employee for religious observance. Each employee would have the same number of days and could take them whenever they chose. Of course the challenge here is that Christmas is so deeply embedded, even if someone chose not to take it off, offices, banks, schools and stores would be closed. We would have to undo that. Christmas and Good Friday, for instance, would become optional holidays, and public institutions and facilities would not automatically shut down.

I imagine the very suggestion of such a notion (which is not new) sends shivers down many spines. It would be akin in many eyes to taking the “Christ” out of Christmas. I understand where such an argument comes from, but not its logic. Every single person who wanted to celebrate Christmas still could: trees, music, church and all. Stores would still have sales. The right and privilege – the freedom of religion – would be fully intact, in fact truer to its purpose. Since such an option is not likely, I think the challenge is to come up with ways to honor and respect all our brothers and sisters and all their faiths, whatever they may be. My beliefs are in no way diminished by those of another. I do not need my faith to be “the best” or “right.” My faith is right for me. I cannot make that determination for someone else.

An amended approach to religious observance and holidays would embrace more people, an essential tenet of many faiths. We know not what we do when we judge and persecute someone for their seemingly “other,” wrong, or heretical views, right? On some level the exclusion of some and claim to superiority of a few religions does just that. When my friend asked, “what’s wrong with my prophet?” I could not help but think, “nothing.”

So why is mine being preferred?

I think this is a special opportunity, and not to wonder why another “minority” is seeking special treatment or consideration. Instead, how can I make the privileges I take for granted available to others? Those who deserve it just as much as I do? My spirituality is extraordinarily important to me, and I am sure it is to Muslims, Krishnas, and Buddhists. It would be my honor and gift to afford them the same rites of observance as I have.

Copyright © 2008 Garry Bevel