Halloween in the Middle East should really be a non-event. With Islam being the religious choice of all Arab countries, (not forgetting the minorities that co-exist within this official narrative), Halloween’s pagan palaver should, in theory, be rejected by Muslims. And for the most part it is -- although there are parties and events riding high on the Halloween trend train, this spooky holiday (so loved by the US and all its copycat following) just doesn’t have the same traction in the Arab world it does elsewhere.
Arabs don’t need Halloween. Why? They have dozens of alternative events that involve some of the much loved traditions of Halloween -- such as dressing up and trick or treating -- that beat the hair-raising holiday hands down!
From the Gulf’s Gerge’an take on trick or treating, the handmade sweets given out in their hundreds during the Eids, to the already petrifying Middle Eastern celebrities (looking at you, Ahlam), here’s exactly why the Arab world’s own traditions make Halloween nothing but a haunting memory.
