In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

In 2002, I penned an article on this website about my belief about Halloween. At that time, I said that I will not participate in the activities surrounding Halloween:

Halloween is upon us, and scores of children dressed up as everything imaginable will soon hit the streets, going door-to-door for candy. This year my five-year-old daughter is old enough to go. Alas, I will not let her. This is not because I am afraid for her safety, or I do not want her to eat her body weight in candy (though these are legitimate concerns). My decision is based on Islamic principles.

Islam accepts the cultural traditions of a people as long as those traditions agree with Islamic values. Thus, blue jeans, baseball caps, hot dogs, and other quintessential American items are wholeheartedly accepted by Islam. I am perplexed when some American Muslims wear Arab dress and pass this off as “Islamic” attire. Nonsense. A pair of jeans and a T-shirt is as Islamic as it gets. A similar argument can be made about such holidays as Mother’s or Father’s Day. Honoring our parents is so strongly stressed in Islam; Muslims should have no problem commemorating such holidays.

And this is why I will not send my daughter trick or treating this year or any other year. Halloween honors Celtic and Roman gods. Islam is strictly monotheistic, and anything having to do with the worship of any other god besides the Most Holy One is out of the question.

Well, many things have happened to me since I typed those words: I have gotten a bit older, I have had more children, and my views on Halloween itself have softened quite a bit. In fact, for the past several years now, I have been trick-or-treating with my kids in the neighborhood, and we have been passing out candy to the children who come to our door.

First of all, not answering the door so as to “not participate” is really not neighborly at all. I did that one year, and it felt terrible. If I am truly to be godly, which I always strive to be, I must be a good neighbor. But, then I started to reflect over Halloween itself. Yes, it may have once been a Roman/Celtic festival…but in America today, it is a day when people have fun by dressing in costume and passing out candy to children. There is nothing religious to it at all, and that is why I will be walking around the block and saying, “Trick or Treat.”

No, I am not going to start celebrating Christmas, even though it can be argued that it has lost all religious significance. But, Halloween is really a cultural thing here in America, and I now feel that there is nothing wrong with taking part. Indeed, some may claim that I have “flip-flopped” or “sold out” be “more American.” I reject that completely.

I am an American: 100%. I am not ashamed of this at all. As an American, I participate in various cultural traditions if I want, such as Fourth of July or Memorial Day celebrations. One of these cultural traditions is Halloween, and because it is fun for both me and my children, I am going to participate. Nothing gruesome or grizzly…just nice, clean fun. This year, I am going as a Jedi Knight, one of the things I have always dreamed of being.

When I look back at what I wrote, I chuckle a bit, because I see the writing of a devout, but perhaps naive, former version of me. I have not lost any of my zeal for the Lord or, I hope, any of my devotion to Him. But, I have taken the advice of many of the commentators who chimed in on my article: “lighten up.” Indeed, I have done just that.