https://www.arabnews.com/node/2221331/saudi-arabia for the saudis, celebrating christmas is henceforth an act of piety Mawlid remains a bid3ah Wonder what all their chamchay, the devbandis and nadwis will react to all this!
there's quite a few in pakistan too, although understandably, they may be slightly more tame than indians; and in pakistani culture a convent product may not be as lauded as a non-convent product; in indian culture (muslim or otherwise) convents are supposed to be the highest quality educators and their students are supposed to be the most well developed all-rounders in all facets of academia, extracurricular, sports, culture, table manners etc. notwithstanding mastery of the english language see these examples from karachi: https://st-michaels.edu.pk/e-collage-primary-class-ii-v/ (just ran into this publication, see pages 2,3, 4 about school identity, pg 45, about a Naat competition) https://sjc.edu.pk/contact/
I'm just going based on my experience as someone who grew up in the UK as well as people who I know, others can give their own experiences: 1. The local imams will usually be of an immigrant background, even now. It's understandable that they wouldn't know what a nativity play is at least at the beginning stages of their life here 2. However, a lot of these imams, even the majority, will end up having children here who will be sent to public schools. At this stage, I feel they have no excuse. Yes, it's possible that they don't take an interest in the day to day of what their child is doing at school and is therefore still unaware of the details surrounding nativity plays, but this would just be an abandonment of their duty as a parent and more widely as an imam 3. There's no doubt a lot of immigrant parents will not be aware of nativity plays and the other problems of public schools. However, in my experience, most of them will come to learn that such plays are regularly produced by these schools on an annual basis and that their children are participating in some form. It is these people who I worry about- what a large percentage of the Muslim population they will comprise! 4. Many parents will not take their children to attend the evening performances but I believe, again in my experience, this is due to laziness and not because they believe the acts in the play are kufr. 5. I would posit that most of the Muslim children in schools now are the offspring of people who themselves grew up here (or at least one such parent). As a result, those parents definitely know what the details of the play since they would have participated in their own childhood. Yet, they send their children to school and most of the people who I speak to do not realise that this play is essentially an insult to Nabi Isa alayhissalaam and the entire reason for this post is because I'm hoping some scholar has spoke on this issue so I can present a ruling to people and ensure they understand the difference between imam and kufr and do tawbah where necessary. Having not spent any time in India, I wouldn't know about the convent thing, my relatives in Pakistan haven't ever mentioned such schools. No doubt people need to speak against this too. The issue you raise about songs is vitally important. I don't want to write the lyrics but there is a very popular love song which gets played at a lot of weddings and contains a kufri chorus which even I've heard (as someone who hasn't watched Hollywood since my early teens)... The mass apostasy that must result from these songs must reach a number that I don't want to think about. Then add in all the kufri jokes in these movies. It's the reason why I brought up this nativity play issue... Almost every Muslim child at a certain age gets caught up in these activities at school... Then think about their parents who are aware of what's happening but don't think there's anything wrong with it or think it's bad but not blasphemy... The percentage is going to be very very high.
without sounding condescending, how many immigrant scholars in the west (any ethnicity) are aware of an actual nativity play and its elements? how many scholars back home (india/pak) speak up against sending your kids to convents, and do they know what is taught there, directly and subtly? directly - "hail mary", "the lord's prayer" etc.? subtly - christian table manners, "respecting" the priest saying grace and doing the crucifix, christian mindset and way of thinking, etc.? just wearing the convent's blazer with the school logo will desensitize a student to the crucifix. what is the hukm on a Muslim parent letting his child wear that blazer with the crucifix on it? those questions are really for our generation and our parent's generation (us growing up in 70s 80s 90s, and the parents a generation older). in today's india, in my opinion it's all the same. i wouldn't be surprised, rather expect it for schools to put up logos with lotus flower sign of bjp, or om signs or hindu swastikas on their logos in india it probably can't be escaped, students are bound to run into sanskrit, shloks, dohay, ganesh stories, 'auspiciousness' of diwali, yoga etc. regardless of which school they go to, now much more than ever, unless it's a madrasah attacked by the hindu rashtra ok it may be a necessary evil to go to school, be it a convent teaching hail mary, or a municipality school teaching ganesh stories - the question is how many scholars teach/guide the masses on countering those evil teachings; and how many families actively work against countering these evils? leave all that, how many scholars/families actually speak up against the murtads with muslim names in bollywood, and the movies that teach riddah, muslim kids humming outright shirk songs?
Nativity plays are very common in the UK, such that almost every primary school in the country has one prior to Christmas and I suspect its not very different in most western nations. A nativity play is where children dress up and act out scenes from the Bible, specifically those from the early chapters of Matthew and Luke where an account of the birth of Nabi Isa alayhissalaam is given (according to the Christians). Children will dress up as shepards, as the three wise men/Kings, as Angels, as Mary and other children in the same year group will be in the choir singing hymns at various stages, many containing kufri lyrics. They'll usually have a doll also and I don't want to write any further than that. Pretty much every child in the chosen year groups will be involved in some way including by helping to make the set etc during classes and practice will occur during school time, such that even if the child is not involved in the play on performance evenings, they'll be a part of the practice in advance. If you're a Muslim child in these year groups, you're basically caught up in this up and down the country, as far as I know. My question is this: is anyone aware of any scholar who has addressed this issue and explained the rulings regarding the above? Specifically: 1. The children engaged in the play whether as part of the choir, acting in the play, helping to design or build the sets and costumes, etc 2. The parents who attend, enjoy the performance of what is clearly an insult to Nabi Isa alayhissalaam as well as the angels including Sayyiduna Jibraeel alayhissalaam, clap along etc 3. The status of the parents who do not attend the play but are aware of what the play entails, don't prevent their children from being involved and don't consider being involved in such a play to be kufr
