Because of this pagan history, some Muslims have sought to avoid having a Christmas tree in their home for fear of deifying anything other than God. This, coupled with anxieties around maintaining their heritage in a non-Muslim society, means that it is still rare to find Muslims who will put up a Christmas tree.
But can religious literacy in Quranic narratives soften attitudes towards this?
What many Muslims don't reflect on (or know about) is the concept of an Islamic Christmas tree. What I mean by this is the tree featured in the Quranic account of Jesus' birth in chapter Mary (Surah 19). In this narrative, Jesus is born under a tree, which is an integral part of the Islamic “nativity scene” and story. This is an Islamic Christmas tree of sorts; a tree that can be used to remind us of the story of Jesus' birth.
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