Minhajul Quran celebrate christmas! A serious error

I usually do not like to attack any one or an organisation for that matter, nor do i like to. However, it greatly saddens me that on this occasion i have no option but to. A Few years ago i started to hear, read and see things which Minhajul Quran (MIQ) did, that were to say it nicely, “controversial”. From then on, i tried my best to keep a lid of silence on it. To over look their error of judgements, and their justification for some their actions. unfortunately, as days turn into weeks and months into years. Their actions likewise are catapulting into total madness! If there were any other word to describe what they are doing now, i would have used it. ‘madness’ pretty much sums up what they are doing now, Post 9/11 era. This time they have gone too far, and i can no longer keep the lid of my silence tightly shut as before. Not only have they have opened the lid of the box of my silence, but they have totally shattered the lid into pieces of shrapnel, ready to explode at any moment!
Just today i came across a YouTube link which someone posted on his Facebook page, where the founder and patron of MIQ, Dr. Tahirul Qadri justifies why they celebrate christmas. However, he further has the audacity to extended and give justification for ALL muslims in celebrating christmas! – encouraging them to somewhat also celebrate christmas.

He (Dr. Tahirul Qadri) makes several bold claims out of which the following two stand out from the crowd:
1) is that ISA (as) was born on the 25th of December. In light of celebrating the birth of a prophet (Mawlid) muslims are allowed to celebrate it. As according to our beliefs, to celebrate the Mawlid of the birth of any prophet, is allowed.
2) The second claim he makes is, it is allowed since we do not celebrate the unislamic ascepts of it, like that of the ISA (as) becoming a GOD, or because of the 3 in one (trinity) nonsense, they do.
3) we can celebrate it, because during the Khalifat muslim rulers allowed the celebration of christmas.

He does however, say that we do not celebrate the ‘shirk’ aspect of christmas. Im sorry to say but how can this ‘stickman’ argument stand when the whole ‘christmas’ celebration is pagan!
beginning with claim number 3, that christmas celebration were allowed under the khilafa. Yes, they were but that was for only them and no muslims were allowed to join in with them!
Now, if you ask any student of history who is well versed in the origins of historical celebrations, namely christmas. They will tell you christmas has nothing to do with christianity although they may claim so. Any average person if s/he does a simple google search of the origins of christmas will see it, (christmas) had and has a totally foreign beginning to that of christianity!

December 25 was a sacred day where the pagan people would celebrate the god Saturn or the god of agriculture (Encyclopedia of the Catholic Religion).

Read more: search the origins of christmas, http://wiki.answers.com

Even to this day, many christians are against celebrating christmas as Micheal Schneider in his book Is Christmas Christian? say the following on the whole issue of celebrating christmas.

It is true that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th. He wasn’t even born in December. He was born in the middle of summer. So why is the birth of Christ celebrated on December the 25?

“Well, at the time of year when the days began to lengthen again, the Babylonians celebrated the victory of their sun-god. The Roman copy of this Babylonian custom was called Saturnalia, the feast of the birth of Sol. It was for centuries an abomination to Christians. The celebration was an orgy of pagan revelry. But the Church, instead of standing firm against paganism, began to compromise. It wanted to “help” weak young Christians who didn’t want to give up the fun and merrymaking surrounding the winter solstice. So the Church said, ‘Go on with your fun and celebration. Only now we’ll call it a celebration of the birth of the Son of God. Instead of losing people to paganism, we’ll combine the two and gradually even win some of the pagans of our day to profess Christianity. Let’s not force men to choose between the two.'”

The very origins Christmas are pagan. Most of the Christmas traditions that we still celebrate are also pagan.

“From ancient times trees have played an important role in pagan religion, and were even worshipped. Norsemen, Celts and Saxons used trees to ward off witches, evil spirits, and ghosts. In Egypt the palm tree was prominent; in Rome it was the fir. Because of this association, idols were often carefully carved from trees.”

The Druids use mistletoe in their pagan worship. Even the nativity has its origins in paganism.

“Even the nativity scene, which some regard as the most “Christian” symbol of Christmas, is tainted with pagan influence. Nearly every recorded form of pagan worship which has descended from Babylonian “mysteries” focuses the attention of the worshiper on a mother goddess and the birth of her child. Different cultures used different names, but the concept is uniformly the same. In Babylon it was the worship of the queen of heaven and her son Tammuz, the sun-god who was thought to be the incarnation of the sun. The birth of the sun-god took place at the winter solstice. Yule was the Babylonian name for child or infant, and Yule Day was celebrated on December 25, long before Christ’s birth. The next time you see a manger scene on a Christmas card, and Mary and Jesus have a halo around their heads, remember that this Roman Catholic concept is borrowed from the Babylonian “mysteries.”

Almost every tradition of Christmas can be traced to paganism. The exceptions are the traditions that were began solely for making money for certain companies like Christmas cards.

Unfortunately, because Dr. Tahirul Qadri is a very influential person in with his circle(s). The many millions of followers he has will totally agree with what he has said simply because they see him as ‘Shaykhul Islam’. That is, anything he says is god given justification of the legality of an action!. Almost making him, (if they have not already), an infallible person.
You see, a normal person off the street who barely knows the basics of Islam, when he would hear such nonsense will undoubtedly, think s/he has the green light to celebrate christmas. I wont be surprised coming this christmas, or the next few years, many of his followers end up buying christmas trees and setting them up in their homes and living quarters!

A person like that of Dr, tahirul Qadri may have done many good-by writing many books etc. However, when you then choose to also display your ignorance and nonsensical ideas in the similar way on a global scale, your good will be canceled out and only the negative ascepts will shine and come to the forefront.
Lastly, like i mentioned before. It is the right of every muslim given by the blessed messenger (saw) that whenever a wrong in society is being done, he she must try to stop it with his/her hands. If not, then with his tongue, if not that s/he must hate it in their hearts and this is the lowest of iman. So, with this in mind im only doing my bit of the equation. If, he makes tawbah and returns from these heinous claims he has made, then i too take back what i have said. Untill then, this stands.
I thank Allah the almighty, for giving me a true shaykh whom is not only a man of implementation of sharia and sunnah on himself. He is a man who is clear where is loyalty and principles stand and lay! This is to Allah and his beloved messenger (saw) and no one else.