December in Pakistan tends to be bittersweet. As the weather changes across the country, there is a positive energy in the air and everyone seems to be optimistic, passionate and blessed. Maybe this is because our patriotic sense is stimulated with the Quaid’s birthday on the 25th of the month. This coincides with Christmas and the holiday spirit sets in, bringing along a pleasant change in people’s outlook. But since 2014, this is in the backdrop of the APS, Peshawar attack, also marked in December.
As a nation, Pakistan tends to be complicated and things aren’t always that great. To date, media restrictions, absent freedom of religion / belief, terrorism / law enforcement abuses (amongst other issues) are a large part of our society. We’ve dealt with earthquakes, urban flooding, a reeling official economy, low ratings on human development indices and the mother of all wars: the war on terrorism.
But Pakistan is resilient and has seen the worst and darkest of times – where when all seems to be lost, we somehow manage to pull through. I do believe that this is our innate strength and may just be the harbinger of a great future.
With this in mind, I recently sat down to recount our peculiar strengths and my list comprised: the spirit of giving; intelligence and resourcefulness; courage in the face of adversity; strong faith despite not very overt religiosity; ingenuity and the beauty of jugaad (hacks, in local terms); resilience to maintain an informal economy. The list is endless. And I did not include other tangibles like our nuclear capability, armed forces and younger demographics. Summed up, Pakistan and Pakistanis have a strong inclination towards being a giving nation.
Ironically, I undertook this activity close to Christmas – an event whose message tends to be a game changer, if fully understood. While Christmas is celebrated as the day of the Birth of Christ, it also symbolizes significant truths of divine life. This is where Jesus Christ worked to transform the lives of people: replacing ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred with purity, spirituality, morality and chastity.
Growing up, my parents enrolled me in a missionary school – St Michael’s Convent School (or Michael’s, as us alumni call it), where nuns and friars were involved in its administration. Michael’s had a semester system with exams taking place early December and come Christmas time, we would prepare for celebrations before officially going off for winter holidays. Christmas at Michael’s also meant carols which we learned in the music class. And as I entered O Levels, Christmas became an occasion to visit my Catholic friends, with cake and presents. This is, thankfully, still a tradition with me.
I’m cognizant of the fact that (as we speak) Christmas in Pakistan is now mostly a Christian concern. With time, Pakistan has (understandably) changed – but not entirely for the better. I don’t know if caroling still happens or if Victoria carriages continue to cart people across the city to see the festivities. However, I can still count on friends at work to bring me some Christmas cheer in the form of sweets, which remind my mother of her undergraduate days at St Joseph’s Convent. Over the years, sectarian, ethnic and communal gaps widened, and Christmas and Christians today stand as an isolated community finding it difficult to face and fight the upheavals of time. I do believe everyone must have heard of child bride, Arzoo?
For a minute, let’s look at the white part of our national flag and remember that it represents the minorities of our country. Let’s also recall Jinnah’s August 11, 1947 speech:
“We are starting with this fundamental principle: that we are all citizens, and equal citizens, of one State.”
It appears that things kind of worked out otherwise. Where Christians continue to be ostracized, Hindu temples are vandalized and anti-Shiite sentiments are on the rise, how much longer will our resilience prevail?
Pakistan is a glaringly sectioned society where the “dominant religion” is accompanied with excessive cultural taboos. Maybe taking a minute to communicate, or possibly just listening to each other might be a starting point. Maybe an inter community dialogue can be kicked off to see how they can be brought together. The desire to change must come from within, because in all honesty – no external power can fix the situation for us. At the end of everything, the only thing that will matter will be our ability to be strong willed enough to force a change that will bring the good times back.
Studying at Michael’s completed my academic multiculturalism. Where Feast Day was regularly observed at school, I recall milads also being held. A lot of us probably also remember indulging in after school Holi fun, alongside our friends who observed the festival. In all honesty, I (thankfully) don’t remember restrictions on any groups attending these events. Maybe times were just different back then or our younger selves possibly found it easier to accommodate unbiased perspectives – using our hearts. I guess that is what made all the difference.
Looking back, I realize that we celebrated these religious festivals without emotionally investing ourselves in their specific organized faith. For a split-second right now, try understanding that Eid, Christmas, Holi and Diwali (among others) are signs of a vibrant society that acknowledges the existence of God in more ways than one. And for another split-second, understand that we are all human beings created by God – who at the end of the day, only look for belonging. It is possible to acknowledge these “signs”, if only we tried and sometimes it takes nothing more than a small perspective shift.
So just like any other festival, Christmas can be used as an occasion to forgive and seek God’s mercy. In the same spirit, Pakistanis can start clearing the clutter by joining hands with their Christian brethren and start a tradition to celebrate an age-old festival.
Is it too much to ask or can we say Amen to that?
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