"So Santa Claus isn't part of Christmas."
"Of course he's part of Christmas," said Zeck. "For most people."
"Just not for you."
Zeck nodded.
"All right, I'll talk about this to my superiors," said the counselor. "Do you want to know what I think? I think they're going to tell me it's just a fad, and they're going to let it run itself out."
"In other words, they're going to let them keep doing it as long as they want."
"They're children, Zeck. Not many of them are as tenacious as you. They'll lose interest in it and it will go away. Have patience. Patience isn't against your religion, is it?"
"I refuse to take offense at your sarcasm."
"I wasn't being sarcastic."
"I can see that you also are a true son to the Father of Lies." And Zeck got up and left.
"I'm glad you didn't take offense," the counselor called after him.
There would be no recourse to authority, obviously. Not directly, anyway.
; Instead, Zeck went to several of the Arab students, pointing out that the authorities were allowing a Christian custom to be openly practiced. From the first few, he heard the standard litany: "Islam has renounced rivalry between religions. What they do is their business."
But Zeck was finally able to get a rise out of a Pakistani kid in Bee Army. Not that Ahmed said anything positive. In fact, he looked completely uninterested, even hostile. Yet Zeck knew that he had struck a nerve. "They say Santa Claus isn't religious. He's national. But in your country, is there any difference? Is Muhammad--"
Ahmed held up one hand and looked away. "It is not for you to say the prophet's name."
"I'm not comparing him to Santa Claus, of course," said Zeck. Though in fact Zeck had heard his father call Muhammad "Satan's imitation of a prophet," which would make Santa and Muhammad pretty well parallel.
"You have said enough," said Ahmed. "I'm done with you."
Zeck knew that Ahmed had gotten along well enough in Battle School. Their home countries were powerless to insist on religious privileges, so the children in Battle School had been granted exemptions from the obligations of Muslims to pray. But what would he do now that the Christians were getting their Santa Claus? Pakistan had been formed as a Muslim country. There was no distinction between what was national and what was Muslim.
It apparently took Ahmed two days to organize things, especially because it was impossible to ascertain at any given time which earthside time zone they were in--or directly above--and therefore what times they should pray. They couldn't even find out what time it was in Mecca and use that schedule.
So Ahmed and other Muslim students apparently worked it out so that they would pray during times when they were not in class, and would continue to use the exemption for those students who were in an actual battle at a prayer time.
The result was a demonstration of piety at breakfast. At first it seemed only a half-dozen Muslims were involved, the students prostrating themselves and facing--not Mecca, which would have been impossible--but to portside, which faced the sun.
But once the praying began, other Muslim students took note and at first a few, then more and more, joined in the praying. Zeck sat at the table, eating without conversation with his supposed comrades in Rat Army. He pretended not to notice or care, but he was delighted. Because Dink grasped the meaning almost at once. The prayer was a Muslim response to Dink's Santa Claus campaign. There was no way the commandant could ignore this.
"So maybe it's a good thing," Dink murmured to Flip, who was sitting next to him.
Zeck knew it was not a good thing. Muslims had renounced terrorism many years ago, after the disastrous Sunni-Shiite war, and had even reconciled with Israel and made common economic cause. But everyone knew how much resentment still seethed within the Muslim world, with many Muslims believing they were treated unfairly by the Hegemony. Everyone knew of the imams and ayatollahs who claimed, loudly, that what was needed was not a secular Hegemony, but a Caliph to unify the world in worship of God. "When we live by Sharia, God will protect us from these monsters. When God sends a warning, we are wise to listen. Instead, we do the opposite, and God will not protect us when we are in rebellion against him."
It was language Zeck understood. Apart from their religious delusions, they had the courage of their faith. They were not afraid to speak up. And they had numbers enough to force people to listen to them. They would be heard by those who had long since stopped even pretending to listen to Zeck.
The next prayer time was at the end of lunch. The Muslims had spread the word, and all those who intended to pray lingered in the mess hall. Zeck had already heard that the same thing happened in the commanders' mess at breakfast, but now most of the Muslim commanders had come into the main mess hall to join their soldiers in prayer.
Colonel Graff came into the mess hall just before the announced time of prayer.
"Religious observance in Battle School is forbidden," he said loudly. "Muslims have been granted an exemption from the requirement of daily prayers. So any Muslim student who insists on a public display of religious rituals will be disciplined, and any commanders or toon leaders who take part will immediately and permanently lose their rank."
Graff had already turned to leave when Ahmed called out, "What about Santa Claus?"