Surrounded by the hoopla and religious observance of Christmas, it can be easy to forget religions which don't see Christmas as part of their traditions. One local imam discusses how he explains those customs with members of his heavily-immigrant congregation.
For Imam Ishmael Ayyash, his Masjid Aleiman on Connecticut Street, his new members are a list of the world's trouble spots, like heavy recent immigration from Syria and Iraq. While they are heavily Islamic countries, the imam says there are Christians there and there is some familiarity with Christmas although it's usually on the Orthodox calendar putting the religious event in early January. In their home countries, the Jordanian-born imam says it's a much less public observance.
Here, Imam Ayyash says his families are surrounded by Christmas and the shopping fervor of the season.
"We are here and we see our neighbor. Our kids they go to the public school and the school talk about it and their friends talk about the Christmas and they ask questions and they are there in the Christmas environment or whatever you want to call it. So, it's become like more than a religious issue," he said.
"I would like for my kids to understand this is not from our religion. But, in the same time, we can live with it, with respect."
Imam Ayyash says his wife has begun to embrace one aspect of the American Christmas tradition.
"She gets so happy when the Christmas time is coming because of the sales that they have in the shopping center and she goes and she saves some money."
