Muslims Are Drawing on Tradition to Sow Seeds of Liberation
People attend a protest rally on May 31, 2020, in Berlin, Germany.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
The tribulations of 2020 tested masses of people with loss and grief, turning many toward religion and faith traditions. At the same time, however, the realities of the pandemic have meant that those of us accustomed to celebrating holidays such as Christmas, Eid, Ramadan, Diwali and Hanukkah with our religious communities, families and friends haven’t been able to do so over the past year.
In the United States, a Christian-centric country, there was much talk about the grief of the pandemic Christmas, but other religious traditions and sacrifices have been minimized, and the collective loss invisibilized. In December there was a level of fervor and outrage surrounding Christmas that was not present when other faith groups and congregations faced the brunt of the quarantine.