Poetry: Ashraf AboArafe
I am Coptic in my roots,
Muslim in faith,
Egyptian in heart and soul.
On Christmas Day,
I celebrate with my brothers and sisters
the birth of a meaning
no two can dispute—
the birth of light,
of love,
of forgiveness,
and grace.
Religions may differ,
yet values remain one;
we are never whole
without one another,
time after time.
May you always be well,
and may this sacred birth
renew our belief
that what unites us
runs deeper
than what divides us.
Let us proclaim it boldly,
without fear or disguise:
a nation is reborn
when difference walks with love—
in humanity,
in time and space.
