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Valfre
Valfre Makeup
Justifying our Existence
Monday, December 25, 2017
This Christmas, I will mostly be walking around looking like a Valfre Girl, because y not? I'm a huge fan of their phone cases, and the illustrations they make are so, so pretty.
Christmas. It's a time of happiness, joy, family time, feel-good movies and rampant consumerism. There are a great many traditions around this time of year: gifts, turkey, brussel sprouts, German markets, family feuds, getting drunk before midday, and so on and so on. But there's a new tradition that I thoroughly dislike.
Every year, around Christmas, I see videos appear on Facebook or YouTube of Muslims saying how much they love Christmas, how they don't want it banned, are not offended by it, and in fact, they celebrate it.
These videos infuriate me. Sure, they're well-meaning, but actually they kind of give credence to the bizarre conspiracy theories dreamed up by intolerant, right-wing hate mongers like the Daily Mail. Every year, without fail, there's always a headline in the media about how Muslims want to ban Christmas, or stop people celebrating, and quite frankly, it's ridiculous. But then, so are the videos that attempt to debunk these absurd myths.
Why do they infuriate me so much? Because it feels like we constantly have to justify ourselves, justify our presence in this country and justify our place in society. And even then, it's never enough for the hate-mongers anyway. They're looking to sell newspapers, and in turn advertising space, and Muslims getting on with life around Christmas, doing their own thing, doesn't sell papers does it?
What does sell papers is headline stories about how Muslims want schools to 're-write the nativity play', or parents that 'don't want their kids to sing Christmas carols', or how generally Muslims are just 'offended by Christmas'. On the other hand, any story about a Muslim family who roast a fucking halal turkey and serve it without pigs in blankets are 'hi-jacking Christmas' or are 'trying to take over' etc.
I remember after the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017, I shared a photo on Twitter of a stall in Manchester city centre ran by some Muslims, sharing a message of peace, saying this bombing, and terrorism isn't something that Islam promotes. And you know how it goes, every time there's an attack, we are told that Muslims don't 'do enough', whether that's rooting out the extremists, or condemning. Yet here these guys were, condemning it, showing people that's not what we're about. The tweet got tens of thousands of likes, but I was also bombarded by right-wing nuts giving out abuse to me, the people at the stall and Islam in general.
In that respect, it feels we can't ever win with people that only ever look to sow the seeds of discord, so these videos are pointless. They only serve to legitimise these bizarre anti-Christmas conspiracy theories, when the reality is, Muslims in general are just a bit 'meh' about Christmas. And that in itself is perfectly fine, after all, non-Muslims in general are just a bit 'meh' about Ramadan and Eid, and we're a bit 'meh' about you being a bit 'meh' about our thing, because it's truly irrelevant, and has no impact on how we celebrate.
I guess the bottom line is, most of the people who I interact with celebrate Christmas, and I wish that you all have an amazing time with family and friends, I truly do. But do I celebrate it too, or am I offended by it? Nope, I'm just neutral, and in these times of divisiveness, maybe rational neutrality isn't such a bad thing after all.
6 comments
Couldn't have agreed more. You look super cool as Valfre girl, by the way! 💖
ReplyDeleteyou look amazing and your writing is amazing (like always) xx
ReplyDeleteGosh I absolutely adore how you have put this, you're right we can never win! This year at my school, the headteacher got a bar-age of abuse because parents were accusing him of banning christmas! So then he went around the school and took photos of all the little trees and the big trees to tweet, I mean how ridiculous! I got a little christmas tree for my classroom because I didn't want the children to think that just because I'm a Muslim, their beliefs and traditions don't matter to me - but I also plan on decorating my room for Eid too. The outside world may always be looking to bring us down, but I shall make my classroom a haven of inclusivity, understanding and tolerance!
ReplyDeleteIqra | The Blushing Giraffe x
Everyday I am amazed (or numb, sometimes I can't tell) that these are the realities some people have to face because some people rationalise their hateful behaviour and cannot simply let someone different from them exist beside them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wish you a great 2018! <3
Coco | The Beauty Milk
I definitely agree that its hard for people to find a place in society and a sense of belonging. I think that no matter who you are it is because of the amount of divison in the way people think about others that effects us all so massively. So many labels and stereotypes, generalizations and lies are so prominent in media and therefore also in chat among people. It sucks that there is this mind set alot of people have where lables are the only way to identify people. When really its just the opposite. The attention to the individual is lost when people generalize, assume, lable or categorize people. Its important to be knowledgeable and respectful of others beliefs and practices, and to not think that someone elses differences in belief are a personal attack on your own. I agree the way media portrays anyone who isnt the "idolozed american beauty/perfect christian citizen" isnt portrayed in a good light by much of media just looking for a quick buck in making a fucked up harmful and inacurate article. The media should not encorage a divide among people. We all deserve more respect and understanding of one another than what crap is being fed to the public though media's lies that only causes hurtful misunderstandings and distance between people who could be united.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that its hard for people to find a place in society and a sense of belonging. I think that no matter who you are it is because of the amount of divison in the way people think about others that effects us all so massively. So many labels and stereotypes, generalizations and lies are so prominent in media and therefore also in chat among people. It sucks that there is this mind set alot of people have where lables are the only way to identify people. When really its just the opposite. The attention to the individual is lost when people generalize, assume, lable or categorize people. Its important to be knowledgeable and respectful of others beliefs and practices, and to not think that someone elses differences in belief are a personal attack on your own. I agree the way media portrays anyone who isnt the "idolozed american beauty/perfect christian citizen" isnt portrayed in a good light by much of media just looking for a quick buck in making a fucked up harmful and inacurate article. The media should not encorage a divide among people. We all deserve more respect and understanding of one another than what crap is being fed to the public though media's lies that only causes hurtful misunderstandings and distance between people who could be united.
ReplyDelete