Somalia Bans Christmas and New Year's Celebrations

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 06:40:23 PM EST
Tags: Somalia (all tags)

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The Somalian Government has banned Christmas and New Years' celebrations on the ground they have nothing to do with Islam.

"We warn against celebration of Christmas, which is only for Christians," Sheikh Mohamed Kheyrow, director of Somalia’s ministry of religion, said on state radio. "This is a matter of faith. The Christmas holiday and its drum beatings have nothing to with Islam."

He said the ministry has sent letters to the police, national security intelligence and officials in the capital Mogadishu instructing them to "prevent Christmas celebrations."

al-Shabab, which controlled Mogadishu until 2011, used to do the same thing. Since Somalia is almost entirely Muslim, what's behind the new ban? It's not entirely clear, but one theory: Fear of attacks.[More...]

"Christmas will not be celebrated in Somalia for two reasons; all Somalis are Muslims and there is no Christian community here. The other reason is for security," Abdifatah Halane, spokesman for Mogadishu mayor, told Reuters. "Christmas is for Christians. Not for Muslims." (my emphasis.)

...Last Dec. 25, al Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on the main AU base in Mogadishu, which lasted several hours and left three peacekeepers and a civilian contractor dead.

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Somalia Bans Christmas and New Year's Celebrations | 25 comments (25 topical)

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How about that (5.00 / 7) (#2)
by CaptHowdy on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 07:23:19 PM EST

An actual war on Christmas

My question is if-

"Christmas will not be celebrated in Somalia for two reasons; all Somalis are Muslims and there is no Christian community here.

Why is banning it necessary?

I celebrate... (5.00 / 3) (#14)
by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 08:24:31 AM EST

the sh*t out of Christmas, and I'm no Christian.


But then, you've known to celebrate (5.00 / 1) (#26)
by jondee on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 01:32:32 PM EST

Bastille Day and Martin Van Buren's birthday..
;-)

"When shall we go beyond the mountains and the shores, to greet the birth of new toil, of new wisdom, the flight of tyrants, of demons, the end of superstition, to adore! the first to adore! Christmas on the earth."

Rimbaud


When we were in Poland we (none / 0) (#23)
by Militarytracy on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 11:58:18 AM EST

We're discussing Holidays. Polish retailers are trying to promote black Friday, also in Germany. In Poland black Friday is very unpopular.

Halloween in Poland is of course very Catholic and somber. It's a national day of saddness. But Americanization is sneaking in so a young group is beginning to dress up and make parties and act completely intolerable, bizarre, and disrespectful :)


: mmmm.... (none / 0) (#25)
by sj on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 12:19:46 PM EST

Love Poland.

We must bomb them immediatly... (5.00 / 5) (#3)
by desertswine on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 07:29:31 PM EST

and put the fear of Baby Jebus in them.

Bombing does no good, dude. (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 08:25:08 PM EST

Four words: Boots on the ground.

Further, I volunteer Lindsay Graham, John McCain and Marco Rubio to lead the charge.

;-D


Donald, (none / 0) (#24)
by fishcamp on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 12:01:34 PM EST

my boots are long gone, so it will be flip flops if they want me. I'd like to be one of those Barrett's rifle sniper guys that shoot 2,000 plus yards. That's even too close for this ancient angler.

BTW those photos and videos of Obama on Koko Head were excellent. The shot of town is the best and I'm saving it. Thanks. Merry Christmas


: Yeah, residents were pretty excited to see him. (none / 0) (#27)
by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 01:40:17 PM EST

But after all, Honolulu is his old hometown and people do remember him fondly from his days at Punahou. I wonder where the Obamas are going to finally settle once his term is up. I was thinking in Chicago, but the family's foundation recently purchased the house and property which longtime TV fans might remember as the Robin Masters estate from '80s series "Magnum, P.I." So who knows?
In the meantime, he still has work to do, and monitoring the situation in Somalia is but one of them.
Aloha.

Sheikh Mohamed Kheyrow (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by The Addams Family on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 08:01:44 PM EST

big lump of coal in his stocking this year

: Do Somalis even know what stockings are? (none / 0) (#8)
by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 08:35:18 PM EST

I believe they're considered a big fashion faux pas in Mogadishu, punishable by disembowelment.

Christmas in Mogadishu... (5.00 / 2) (#12)
by desertswine on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 11:48:21 PM EST

A photo travelogue. Apparently this photographer visited Mogadishu a couple of days before the attack last year. After the first few pictures of airplanes, airports and such, there are some fascinating photos of Mogadishu and Somalia.

The Sheik (5.00 / 2) (#18)
by KeysDan on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 10:45:30 AM EST

Should get into the spirit of the season like Saudi Arabia. A sentence of death by stoning for a Sri Lanka maid convicted of adultery was commuted. Now just three years in prison. A Sri Lankan man convicted with her got 1oo lashes.

Another theory: (none / 0) (#1)
by NYShooter on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 07:13:41 PM EST

We can do it too, El Trumpo.

: Are you implying (5.00 / 5) (#4)
by MO Blue on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 07:55:08 PM EST

that this is a "trumped" up controversy? ;o)

: Yes , we can do it, too (5.00 / 4) (#19)
by KeysDan on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 11:06:27 AM EST

And, raise them one. The Sheik bans a religious celebration, we ban a religion.

: It's the Muslim (none / 0) (#6)
by Ga6thDem on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 08:03:29 PM EST

version of Trump.

This is a perfect (none / 0) (#9)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 09:27:11 PM EST

demonstration of what we are dealing with.

It matters not what Trump, or Hillary, or Obama says....

Heck, Bush said was Islam a religion of peace. Obama made an apology tour...

And the attacks continue. Why can't you understand that bin Ladin spoke for the radical islamists when he said that the only thing that would satisfy them was for us to let them do what they wanted.

: Very true (5.00 / 5) (#15)
by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 08:37:08 AM EST

This comment is a perfect demostration of what we are dealing with. And dealing with. And dealing with.
And dealing with
And dealing with
...........

Mirror (none / 0) (#10)
by lentinel on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 09:36:50 PM EST

The Christmas holiday and its drum beatings have nothing to with Islam.

They associate Christianity with "drum beating".

Interesting, isn't it?

: "Come they told me... (5.00 / 3) (#13)
by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 08:22:18 AM EST

pa rum pum pum pum."
Where's a prince of peace when ya need one? ;)

Brunei has also put the kibosh on Christmas... (none / 0) (#11)
by desertswine on Wed Dec 23, 2015 at 10:39:48 PM EST

Similarly, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has also banned public celebrations of Christmas.
Religious leaders in the oil-rich sultanate warned the ban on Christmas would be strictly enforced, with violators facing up to five years in jail.
"Using religious symbols like crosses, lighting candles, putting up Christmas trees, singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings ... are against Islamic faith," imams said in sermons published in the local press.
The government warned last year that Muslims would be committing an offence if they so much as wore "hats or clothes that resemble Santa Claus".

Man! (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 08:42:18 AM EST

f they so much as wore "hats or clothes that resemble Santa Claus".

Now that's ice cold. I don't even like thinking about a dude getting stoned in a Santa Claus suit.

Stoned with actual stones I mean,


Bad time.. (none / 0) (#17)
by kdog on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 09:16:02 AM EST

to be a Blood in Brunei.

My boy Clarence needs to pay this Sultan guy a visit...he's more ornery than Nick the bartender in a world without George Bailey.

Hey look, Infidel, we serve hard religion in here for men who want to get drunk fast and we don't need any Christmas characters around to give the joint atmosphere. Is that clear or do I have to behead you for a convincer?


: Even if they celebrated it.. (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by jondee on Thu Dec 24, 2015 at 01:44:27 PM EST

in a couple of years people would be getting executed for portraying the face of Santa or one of his elves.