The Ethics of Christmas in the Arab World

posted on: Dec 24, 2025

Photo by Madinat Jumeirah on Unsplash

By: Diksha Tyagi/Arab America Contributing Writer

Today, numerous cities across the Arab world shine with the spirit of Christmas. Even predominantly Today, numerous cities across the Arab world shine with the spirit of Christmas. Even predominantly Muslim countries are home to widespread Christmas celebrations, grounded in universal values found in Arab and Western philosophical traditions alike. This shows how the holiday operates not solely as a religious occasion, but also as a cultural and social phenomenon. In a way, Christmas in the Arab world evolved into an ethical occasion that transcends religious boundaries.

Christmas Celebrations Across the Arab World

The Arab region displays many varied expressions of Christmas that demonstrate the ability of Christmas to transcend strictly religious boundaries. With Christians making up around one third of the population, the diverse country of Lebanon has some of the most festivities around Christmastime. Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, hosts numerous Christmas markets, features Christmas trees across malls, and is sparkling with decorations. Individuals from all religious attend these events. This displays Lebanon’s interfaith harmony and the celebration of Christmas as a cultural event.

Despite Christmas not being an official holiday in the UAE, Christmas decorations and activities attract residents and tourists alike. Elaborate tree-lighting ceremonies at Dubai malls such as Global Village and Dubai Festival City boast trees stories-high.

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Across the Arab world, like in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine, similar patterns are seen. The mixing of people from numerous faiths to participate in the festivities illustrates how Christmas has become a communal cultural phenomenon as much as a religious one.

Christmas’ Ethical Core

Christmas festivities consist of charity, gift-giving, and gathering. These all resonate with ethical values that are found across both religious and secular traditions. They focus on community, generosity, and hospitality, which don’t need to be necessarily tied to Christian doctrine but can also evoke universal moral sentiments. Many Arab societies include seasonal practices of charity, reflecting these ethical ideals. This helps to explain the appeal of Christmas, allowing all individuals to participate in an event that, through universal values, focuses on bringing people together.

Philosophical Traditions

Traditions from Arab philosophy exemplify the universal nature of these sentiments. Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes, developed a rationalist philosophy despite his commitment to Islam. He emphasized the existence of universal ethical truths, one of the first to contribute to the long-standing philosophical tradition of moral universalism (as opposed to moral relativism). This belief demonstrates how celebrations such as Christmas can reflect universal moral principles rather than relative values of a singular religion.

In addition to individual ethics, Christmas also reflects societal values that its nature helps to sustain. Ibn Khaldūn was an Arab scholar from the 1300s in present-day Egypt. He developed a concept called asabiya, referring to “group cohesion or social solidarity”. This highlights the importance of collective identity in sustaining societies, maintained through the bonds created by public rituals and celebrations. Christmas celebrations, especially in diverse, multicultural societies like Beirut, exemplify how such festivities reinforce asabiya and are integral to a society’s functioning.

This also rings true when considering social philosophies in both the Arab and Western philosophical traditions. Plato’s ideal city in The Republic cultivates virtue through shared practices and communal harmony. Al-Farabi’s virtuous city drew on and adapted Plato, emphasizing the crucial role that collaboration plays in attaining the “perfection” that is possible for an individual and the societies they live in. Shared celebrations and times of generosity help orient citizens towards the common good, therefore reinforcing moral traits like cooperation and moderation that, for these thinkers, are universal.

Considering these philosophical traditions during Christmas allows us to fully appreciate its celebration across the Arab world. More than just coming together around festive lights, the prevalence of Christmas is a stark representation of the human connection we all share. Meaning can still be found despite religious and cultural diversity across Arab countries and the world as a whole. Societies cultivate unity not through sameness but instead through shared commitments and values, and holidays like this demonstrate the ethical ties that bind the globe together.

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