Berkley Center

As much as religious Christians in the United States lament the commercialization and secularization of Christmas, this view has not made its way to SFS-Q. Now for the second time, Georgetown’s Qatar campus has put up a beautiful and very large Christmas tree on December 1. While I noticed no critical discussion about the tree this year, I talked to a few of my Muslim peers and professors about the tree, and I learned that this Christian symbol faced initial resistance. Those who criticized the tree generally fell into two camps.

The first camp viewed the Christmas tree as an ostentatious symbol of Christianity that did not belong in a Wahhabi country. (For a discussion on Wahhabism in Qatar, see my previous blog post). A professor I spoke to expressed her surprise with this argument, and last year she recalled reminding students that they attend an American and Jesuit university, so they should not be surprised by this holiday decoration.

The second camp of students did not hold an ideological position but were instead frustrated by what they considered the relative disinterest the university had demonstrated for Muslim holidays such as Eid and Ramadan. According to them, Georgetown’s provision of a large majlis-style couch, which has historically been used to accommodate a large number of people for group events, and “Eid Mubarak” signs around the school paled in comparison to the Christmas tree. Rumors also circulated among the student body that the tree cost the school around $10,000. While I have not attempted to verify the accuracy of this number, it seems to be a reasonable figure, considering the size and quality of the tree.

Both groups do have a point: the Christmas tree is impossible to miss, and at almost three stories tall and with its ornate decorations it certainly makes a statement. But what is wrong with this statement? The State of Qatar invited Georgetown to open a campus in Doha and pays for its operating costs in full knowledge of its Catholic identity, demonstrating that it believes Georgetown’s reputation for academic excellence outweighs any challenges posed by its Catholic identity. For what it is worth, the partnership is at least equally as beneficial to Georgetown. To this end, it seems that Georgetown has decreased its Catholic footprint to not antagonize any SFS-Q students of different faiths: classrooms in Doha lack crucifixes above the doors, and there is only one Jesuit for the entire campus community. In this spirit of mutual concessions, a Christmas tree that represents a part, albeit small, of the student body seems like a small thing to ask for.

But maybe I’m beating a dead horse. I’m happy to report that this seems like a previous, knee-jerk issue that has been resolved. As far as I know, no members of the Georgetown community have raised significant criticism about the Christmas tree this year. This is a promising step in cementing the strong cross-cultural and interreligious understanding that is found at SFS-Q, whether embodied by a peer of a different background or by a different holiday symbol.