Brunei bans Christmas celebrations in public, including wearing Santa hats
Oil-rich Brunei has banned public celebrations of Christmas, including sending festive greetings and the wearing of Santa Claus hats.
Muslims seen celebrating Christmas and non-Muslims found to be organising celebrations could face up to five years jail.
However the country's non-Muslims, who comprise 32 per cent of the 420,000 population, can celebrate Christmas in their own communities on the condition that the celebrations are not disclosed to Muslims.
Imams have told followers in the tiny Borneo nation to follow a government edict last year banning celebrations that could lead Muslims astray and damage their faith, according to the Borneo Bulletin.
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"These enforcement measures are … intended to control the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly, which could damage the aqidah (beliefs) of the Muslim community," the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement explaining the edict that was published in the Brunei Times.
The statement said non-Muslims disclosing or displaying Christmas celebrations violated the penal code which prohibits propagating religion other than Islam to a Muslim.
The Borneo Bulletin quotes imams saying in a Friday sermon that lighting candles, putting up Christmas trees, singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings and putting up decorations are against the religious faith.
"Some may think that it is a frivolous matter and should not be brought up as an issue," the imams are quoted as saying.
"But as Muslims … we must keep it (following other religions' celebrations) away as it could affect our Islamic faith," they said.
Before Christmas last year officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs visited businesses and asked owners to remove Christmas decorations and to stop staff wearing Santa Claus hats and clothes.
Brunei's rulers do not enforce the harsh Islamic orthodoxies of countries like Saudi Arabia.
There are no sanctions for women who do not wear headscarfs and while the sale and public consumption of alcohol is banned, foreigners are allowed to import and drink it behind closed doors.
But Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's richest men, last year ordered the introduction of sharia, the strict legal code based on the injunctions of the Koran, prompting boycotts and protests at hotels he owns in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The laws, which include amputation of hands and feet for theft and whipping for adultery, were to be phased in over three years.
But their introduction appears to have been delayed without public explanation, according to foreign observers in Brunei.
John Oliver recently made a nice piece about the country as well. Because nothing like satire to counter such bullshit
Once again, Islam provides idiots in America with an example to show how they're making mountains out of molehills. "See? That's what a War on Christmas looks like."
wautd wrote:John Oliver recently made a nice piece about the country as well. Because nothing like satire to counter such bullshit
The video is corrupted and doesn't display properly.
Grumman wrote:Once again, Islam provides idiots in America with an example to show how they're making mountains out of molehills. "See? That's what a War on Christmas looks like."
wautd wrote:John Oliver recently made a nice piece about the country as well. Because nothing like satire to counter such bullshit
The video is corrupted and doesn't display properly.
It's also kinda literally what an Islamic country looks like too... I'd laugh if it wasn't something Malaysian politicians could seriously contemplate.
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AniThyng is merely the name I gave to what became my favourite Baldur's Gate II mage character
Though given what a big role Jesus has in Muslim theology, you'd think that the Brunei authorities would be more peeved about the commercial aspects.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Pelranius wrote:Though given what a big role Jesus has in Muslim theology, you'd think that the Brunei authorities would be more peeved about the commercial aspects.
Muslims tend to frown on depictions of prophets, for one thing.
Anyway, this does violate the rights of Christians in Brunei and it is dumb, but they aren't literally banning Christmas or stopping Christians from practicing their religion. As Muslim governments and the crazy things they do go, this is fairly mild.
Ralin wrote:Anyway, this does violate the rights of Christians in Brunei and it is dumb, but they aren't literally banning Christmas or stopping Christians from practicing their religion.
The difference seems academic. It's impossible for the government to enforce a law banning celebrations they don't know about, so a law that bans Christmas and a law that bans Christmas, but only if the Muslims find out, are functionally identical.
Pelranius wrote:Though given what a big role Jesus has in Muslim theology, you'd think that the Brunei authorities would be more peeved about the commercial aspects.
Jesus is a prophet yes, but he is most certainly not the son of God. I'm sure they're against greed and commercialism too, but that's plainly not the reason muslim countries crack down on christmas celebrations that may involve muslims.
I do know how to spell
AniThyng is merely the name I gave to what became my favourite Baldur's Gate II mage character
Pelranius wrote:Though given what a big role Jesus has in Muslim theology, you'd think that the Brunei authorities would be more peeved about the commercial aspects.
Jesus is a prophet yes, but he is most certainly not the son of God. I'm sure they're against greed and commercialism too, but that's plainly not the reason muslim countries crack down on christmas celebrations that may involve muslims.
He seems to be a pretty special Prophet in Islamic theology though. IIRC based on what my Muslim friends told me, they believe in the Virgin birth (and that baby Jesus single handily beat up some guys who were talking trash about his mother), and that Jesus will lead the fight against the Antichrist/Shaitan.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Pelranius wrote:Though given what a big role Jesus has in Muslim theology, you'd think that the Brunei authorities would be more peeved about the commercial aspects.
Jesus is a prophet yes, but he is most certainly not the son of God. I'm sure they're against greed and commercialism too, but that's plainly not the reason muslim countries crack down on christmas celebrations that may involve muslims.
He seems to be a pretty special Prophet in Islamic theology though. IIRC based on what my Muslim friends told me, they believe in the Virgin birth (and that baby Jesus single handily beat up some guys who were talking trash about his mother), and that Jesus will lead the fight against the Antichrist/Shaitan.
Yes, but that still does not mean the kind of muslims that make these kinds of laws see Christmas as anything other than the holy day of a deviant religion - they know Christmas the religious holiday is a christian celebration and the religion ascribes to jesus other properties that are simply incompatible with Islam's view of Jesus.
I do know how to spell
AniThyng is merely the name I gave to what became my favourite Baldur's Gate II mage character
Grumman wrote:
The difference seems academic. It's impossible for the government to enforce a law banning celebrations they don't know about, so a law that bans Christmas and a law that bans Christmas, but only if the Muslims find out, are functionally identical.
I would assume that "not disclosed to Muslims" means that celebrations have to be kept private and away from Muslim citizens, not that Muslims literally cannot be allowed to know a Christian will be celebrating Christmas.
I need to move there for 2 months next year. So fucking tired of christmas everything from November to January.
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phred wrote:I need to move there for 2 months next year. So fucking tired of christmas everything from November to January.
I think your privilege is showing... Sure you'll escape the rampant Christmas everywhere else. I'm not sure the trade-off is worth it unless you're actually in agreement that Islam is above all other religions. But then again it's also true this stuff rarely affects tourists and expats, just the minority people's of said countries that aren't part of the elite.
I do know how to spell
AniThyng is merely the name I gave to what became my favourite Baldur's Gate II mage character
