When ‘Merry Christmas’ becomes a crime in the name of faith

LATELY, social media has been flooded with posts quoting Islamic clerics saying that Muslims should not even say “Merry Christmas” because Christmas celebrates the birth of the son of God.

- MITSU CHAVDA PATEL

What is even more telling is not just the quote itself, but how many people are agreeing with it and sharing it as if this is some kind of moral victory.

Let’s be honest about what this really is. This is not about religious purity. This is not about personal belief. This is about a religious ideology that actively discourages coexistence.

When a holy theology teaches its followers that they are forbidden from offering even basic goodwill to their neighbours, that theology is no longer just practising faith.

It is training social separation. It is teaching people to emotionally and culturally withdraw from the society they live in.

And when millions of people obey it, the consequences stop being private and start becoming public.

Every functioning society on Earth runs on one simple rule: you don’t have to agree with your neighbour's beliefs to respect their humanity. Saying “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Diwali”, or “Eid Mubarak” is not an act of worship. It is a gesture of coexistence. It is a signal that we recognise each other as part of the same community, even when our beliefs differ.