Why PAS can celebrate New Year or Anno Domini but not Christmas?

TERENGGANU, Jan 2 – It was an irony for me when I read an article in Harakah that the PAS government of Terengganu actually celebrated the New Year at the Gong Badak Indoor Stadium albeit in an ‘Islamic way’.

I like what they wrote in the article though, in short saying that Muslims can celebrate the New Year (or what they didn’t say as Anno Domini actually) but must be in Islamic manner. (link)

However I found that such stand to be another hypocrisy from PAS because only a few weeks ago they were preventing Muslims from merely wishing Merry Christmas, let alone celebrating Christmas.

Why do I say it’s a hypocrisy?

Firstly, celebrating the coming of the New Year is also a celebration of Anno Domini which is Latin for ‘the year of the Lord’. Anno Domini is short for Anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi or ‘in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ’.

And then, what is Christmas? Isn’t it a celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? PAS said Muslims can celebrate the New Year but in a Muslim way, via prayers etc etc and not celebrate it the way Christians do.

So why couldn’t Muslims celebrate Christmas as another Maulidur Rasul? In Islam, Prophet Isa is also a Rasul of Allah (Messenger of Allah). Why couldn’t we celebrate Christmas in a Muslim way, but a week later we could suddenly celebrate ‘Anno Domini’ the PAS way?

Is that not another of PAS hypocrisy?

-Mujahidin Zulkiffli