Youngsters clad in Muslim attire, with girls wearing headscarves and boys in skull caps — this video of around 14 youngsters singing Christmas carols in a Kerala church has taken social media by storm. At a time when protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are being held across the country, the youngsters wore Muslim attire to express their solidarity with the anti-CAA movement in the country.
The video is from Christmas celebrations at St Thomas Mar Thoma Church in Kozhencherry in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta.
In the video, the youngsters can be seen singing Christmas carols in the tune of ‘Mappila pattu,’ which are traditional songs sung by the Muslim community. The girls can be seen rhythmically clapping their hands the way it is done for Oppana, another traditional art form of the Muslim community.
The video, which is being circulated with the caption ‘Christmas: Celebration of Refugees,’ has gone viral on social media.
Talking to TNM, Father Daniel T Philip, Assistant Vicar, explains why it was significant to express their solidarity to the agitations against CAA during the Christmas celebration.
“Jesus and his parents had to flee after his birth as refugees because of a king. What we are witnessing now can very well be related to it. People are being denied citizenship, their identities are getting lost, and they are being forced to run away as refugees. So for us, this year’s Christmas celebration is in solidarity with those people who are being victimised.”Father Daniel T Philip, Assistant Vicar
He also added that choosing Muslim attire for the choir was also a symbolic protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial statement that protestors can be identified by their clothes.
Narendra Modi, reacting to the agitations against CAA in the country, had remarked that those who indulged in violence during the anti-CAA protests can be identified by the dress they wear. The Prime Minister’s comment was widely criticised.
Fr Daniel also tells TNM that the true meaning of Christmas lies in spreading peace among people. “That is what we tried to do with this endeavour. There is no point in discriminating between communities or different persons; what we need is peace among all,” he says.
The viral video was shared by several celebrities and politicians from Kerala. Sharing the video on Twitter, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wrote, “Ah yes - you can tell who they are from their clothes.”
(This story was originally published in The News Minute and has been reposted with permission.)
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