Industrial strike
If you step into any department store as early as the middle of November, you will undoubtedly hear Mariah Carey droning on about what she wants for Christmas.
And I would never dare to complain. The season is special to even the most non-believing folk. So why does seeing Ramadan be publicly acknowledged cause such a stir?
Something I really appreciated in London was how wonderfully aware the people in the city were about Diwali. When I lived in New York, we never got an aisle at the grocery store dedicated to Indian sweets and snacks.
Isn’t that the essence of London’s beauty? Its acknowledgement of all its citizens.
This is why the backlash received by Network rail for their display board message in Kings Cross seems highly Islamophobic.
The display board showed a Hadith, which is a sacred message of guidance for followers of Islam. I’m not saying they’re the same exact thing but I don’t think there would be such an outcry if a Bible verse was displayed. Or for that matter, even a quote from the Bhagwad Gita would go unnoticed by most. In fact, the station pointed out they celebrate other religious festivals like Christmas and Diwali in a similar way. But now they’ve taken it down.
Lights, holiday slogans and decorations are plastered around during all kinds of festivals. In December, there is a magical aura enveloping the whole city. Nobody would seriously criticise the scale of these celebrations that last for almost two months.
Although I was brought up practising Hinduism, I always found Christmas celebrations to be so mesmerising and wholesome that I never viewed them as infringing upon the sacredness of my own religious practices.
Message board displays should provoke strong reactions on one thing only: egregious train delays
Acknowledging someone else’s beliefs doesn’t diminish the importance of my own. And why would something that actually bears no ill consequence to me disrupt my peace of mind to the point that I feel the need to belittle people who are different to me?
There are much better (or worse) things for me and the rest of the non-Muslim community to focus on rather than dissecting a string of words on a noticeboard.
Many would argue that London is the capital of a country built on Christian beliefs. I don’t think anyone has the time (or the mental capacity) to explain to such debaters why it is necessary to move away from such an outdated notion and accept that things are not the same as they were in the 1600s.
I’m not a Muslim and can’t speak for their community but I think it’s pretty clear that even as a someone who is from a minority background, I am not ostracized as often as they are.
This is the very reason I feel that it is necessary for me and others like me to speak up in spaces where Muslims may not feel comfortable doing so. I think harmonious living can only be achieved if we are all given the same level of recognition and allowed space to celebrate our religion without worrying about inciting anger.
Message board displays should provoke strong reactions on one thing only: egregious train delays. Isn’t that more than enough rail rage to be getting on with?
Deeya Sonalkar is an Evening Standard writer
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