Two messages

Prior to Christmas, I received two messages from two friends, the kind of e-mail that gets sent to a long list of recipients. I have known both for at least thirty years. Both are sincere, dedicated, God fearing Sunni Moslems, humble and deeply religious. One of my two friends is from Egypt & the other from Saudi Arabia.

My Egyptian friend's e-mail was directed to most of the people he knows. His list includes Moslem and non-Moslem, old & young, friends and relatives. In his message he wished all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I was not surprised to get his message, and did not really think much about it, other than "here is a friend who is sending me his good wishes in this particular season."

My Saudi friend's e-mail was directed mainly to his Saudi friends as well as other Moslems of various nationalities, including me. His message was in Arabic and it included a "Moslem" theological opinion regarding non-Moslem holidays. The message was very clear "It is prohibited to participate in non-Moslem feasts or to extend any wishes to non-Moslems on these occasions." And that stopped me in my tracks, and had no idea how to react to this message.

If I did not know my Saudi friend that well, and how he is a kind and compassionate humanitarian, I would have dismissed his message as spam. But I can't just do that, and I am left with the basic question; "if two Moslems have started from the same basic belief values, how & when did they end up so far apart?"