1) Young Muslims - The Message

and disseminated throughout the world in the name of love, giving,and the purity of the Virgin Mary and Jesus (Peace be upon them).Somewhere along the line when the Christians were being torturedand killed in Roman coliseums, somebody made the decision tomake it easy for the northern people to accept these teachings. Sowhat came about are an adaptation and a change so that youactually have the Christmas ceremony which once representedPagan images of nature, images based upon the worship of the sun,or the worship of the created things, now in the monotheisticreligion.It is interesting to note that as late as 1647, Britain’s PuritanParliament had Christmas ceremony banned as pagan. St. Nicholasappeared in early European folklore as another character,sometimes known as Beowulf, or Nick or Nikker. He was said to be ademon or the evil spirit of the North. Descriptions of him show himwhen humanoid as an aged creature with a flowing white beard. Bythe 16th century, the term had become more specific, theChristianized: “Old Nick” or even “St. Nicholas” meant the devilproper. In the Bible, Isaiah 14:13, the devil’s throne was in theNorth. Satan presided over the winter’s darkness. So the characterrepresenting evil for the northern Christians was transferred intothe figure of Santa Claus. He was often covered with red fur ordriven in a sleigh by winged snakes.If Santa Claus now is flying all over the world giving gifts to childrenwhat happened to the labor of their mother and the father? Why isSanta Claus coming down the chimney? That is because there was abelief in ancient Scandinavia that a goddess of flames would comeinto the home. And so this confusion now is all put together on theChristmas occasion and people have forgotten about Prophet Isa(bpuh).In the Islamic understanding, Isa or Jesus (Blessings and Peace beupon him), the son of Mary (Blessings and Peace be upon him) wasa very humble person who possessed only one or two changes ofYoung Muslims, What they should know about Islam Page - 225