Although the Marshall Islands is predominantly a Christian nation, people often wonder how the Marshallese Muslim community view the Christian Holiday.

For the average Marshallese, Christmas is about decorations, gift giving, feasts and church festivities in the form of contemporary dancings called “biit,” which is termed after the American word for beat.

For the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Uliga, Majuro, Christmas jolly and kris kringle are non-existence, primarily because of the absence of written texts on the actual birth date of Jesus Christ in both the Bible and Quran. 

Scholars believe Christians adopted the Roman’s winter solstice celebration and incorporated it with the birth of Christ to signify the birth of Christianity. 

In a sermon at the Ahmadiyya mosque on Friday, December 13th, Imam Qasim Choudhary shared the following: “If someone questions your love about the Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, tell them what the Quran states, tell them the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said,” Imam Qasim said. The passage is from the Quran quoting Prophet Muhuammad on Jesus: ” I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, in this world and the next. We are brothers to one another and our religion is one.”

The message resonated in the hearts of the Marshallese Muslims, who, for years, have felt guilty for turning their back against the Christian Jesus by not partaking in Christmas festivities. Majority of the Ahmadiyya members were born into the Christian faith. “Do not feel left out,” Imam Qasim said. “I understand the children see the colorful decorations and the joyous music and dances,” the Imam said. “And I know the elders too, question whether we should join in the Christmas holiday, but remember, a true celebration is one of prayer and recognition of God.The Imam praised the great attributes that comes with Christmas, such as donations to food drives and charity, and added more charity should be available throughout the year and not just during Christmas.

Real celebration with God is through prayers, the Imam echoed. Friday is our holiest of days and God does not command us to dance and feast, instead, he commands us to pray and reflect on our faith for our good and for the good of humanity.

Christmas background:

Since the arrival of the first Christians to the Marshall Islands on Ebon Atoll in December of 1857, the Marshallese populace revered Jesus Christ as the pillar of the Christian faith. 

Throughout the decades, the celebration of Jesus through Christmas has evolved through contemporary dancing and feasts, often referred to as “biit” after the English word “beat.” Another popular Marshallese form of dancing is called the Juribak, after the American’s Jitterbug dance.

Ahmadiyya background:

The Ahmadiyya mosque was built in 2012 in the heart of Uliga in Majuro across from the Judicial CourtHouse and the United Church of Christ. The Ahmadiyya faith, however, has been present in Majuro since the late 90s. Since the mosque’s inception, the community has been known as a safety net for its neighboring Uliga residents. The mosque often donates school materials and food to the larger Majuro population. The mosque has maintained a food kitchen that is available to members and non-members alike. The Ahmaidiyya community is best known for their charitable work during the beginning of new year, where members of the community volunteer to clean the downtown area after the annual New Year Block Party celebrations.