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Hussein Mohammed Halawa, the Secretary-General of the Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), said in a December 8, 2019 interview on Al-Hiwar TV (U.K.) that since Allah permitted Muslim men to marry women who belong to the People of the Book, it is permissible for Muslims to wish Christians well on their holidays and to pray for their wellbeing, so long as Muslims avoid greetings that glorify non-Muslim practices. Secretary-General Halawa said that in the example of a Muslim company manager who has Christian and Muslim employees, there is no problem with him getting a Christmas tree for the office or organizing company events for the Christian employees to celebrate their holidays. The ECFR is presided over by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
Hussein Mohammed Halawa: [Allah] permitted Muslims to marry the women of the People of the Book.
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So if Islam permitted for me and my children to have [People of the Book] as family, it would be illogical that when their holiday season arrives, I would have to break off relations with them. I am allowed to wish them well on the occasion of their holiday, and pray for blessings to be bestowed upon them, but when I greet them, I avoid greetings that glorify anything outside my religion. There is nothing wrong with that at all.
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Interviewer: Sheikh, let's take a company, where the manager is a Muslim, and where there are Muslim employees, but also a considerable number of Christian employees, who ask the manager [for permission] to place a small [Christmas] tree in the corner, in order to celebrate Christmas. On other occasions, like Ramadhan, they decorate the office, and they take holiday leave. What should the company manager do with this request?
Hussein Mohammed Halawa: He should get them their tree. If he has non-Muslims working for him, he should let them celebrate their religious [holidays], and he should let them bring [a Christmas] tree. There is nothing wrong with that. What harm is there if they bring a tree and place it in one of the corners? These people have rights, and they have duties. As you said, when Ramadhan or other Muslim holidays arrive, they decorate the place. So when their holidays arrive, there is nothing wrong with organizing a party for them with food and drink, or if a [Christmas] tree is placed in one of the corners. I, as a Muslim' do not celebrate. They are celebrating. There is nothing wrong with that.
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Interviewer: Is it permissible for the [Muslim] manager to bring them the [Christmas] tree himself?
Hussein Mohammed Halawa: There is nothing wrong with that. They are his employees.
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