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Once again it is Halloween time in the US and all religious groups including Christians, Jews and Muslims are debating the pros and cons of celebrating Halloween. Most often "celebrating" merely means wearing costumes and going out to get some candy. Though this portion may appear benign, there are plenty of anti-Halloween sentiments in the religious communities. According to an article from CNN, Some conservative churches setup haunted houses - called 'hell houses' - that are designed to give a glimpse of eternal damnation in hopes of strengthening faith. If there is any common ground to be had among the religious communities, it surely comes out in the debate on Halloween.

When there is discussion on the history of Halloween, several friends I have spoken to will say "no" to Halloween. But things are not so clear when it comes down to the candy part of Halloween.

Based on personal experiences, if you are a Muslim, you are likely to fall into these groups:

1. I believe that Halloween is Haram. I do not practice it and I will also put it down.

2. I do not care if you dress like a ghoul and go begging for candy. Therefore, I am going to turn off my lights and pretend I am not home.

3. I do not celebrate, but I will give out candy to the kids that knock on my door.

4. What is the big deal, let the kid go out and have their fun. I'll buy them some cute-scary costumes and take them trick-or-treating. Toronto's Imam Habeeb Alli believes that Candy-sharing, being friendly to one s neighbour and being flexible with our children is just part of the Canadian culture.

5. The top 3 candy manufacturers got together and secretly formed a group that set out to commercialize this event. I am opposed to this sneaky tactics by these money-grubbing companies, so I do not participate in it.

6. What a waste of pumpkins. People are dying and we are having fun with it.

A new one that I came across this year:

My nephew was eager to go trick-or-treating. His father explained to him about the history and religious implications of Halloween. Son made his own decision and chose #3 above.

However, My son made his own decision and chose #1.

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