Brunei, Somalia and Tajikistan ban Christmas
In yet another sign of increasing Islamist intolerance around the world, the celebration of Christmas has come under attack in at least three countries this year: Following in the footsteps of the English Puritans who banned Christmas in the Middle Ages, Brunei, Somalia and Tajikistan are now clamping down on the Christian festival. Now, the announcement from Somalia, which is struggling to get back on its feet after decades of civil war, is possibly the least surprising. The country is officially under sharia’h law; it has almost no native Christians; and Islamist militants still hold some territory. In fact, last Christmas they had attacked the main African Union base in Mogadishu which killed three peacekeepers and one civilian contractor.
But Brunei and Tajikistan haven’t been too far behind been — having exhibited signs of growing religious puritanism in recent years. In 2008, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced his vision of developing the country as a sort of ‘Islamic-Singapore', which he then followed up with his 2013 decision to implement sharia'h law in three phases. The first phase, which criminalises the missing of Friday prayers, pregnancies outside of marriage, and proselytisation, has already been rolled out. The second phase includes barbaric punishments such as floggings and cutting off the hands for property crimes. The Taliban-like third phase allows for stoning those convicted for crimes such as adultery, abortion, homosexuality and blasphemy.
The ban on Christmas, which includes a five-year jail sentence for so much as wearing a Santa Clause hat, must be viewed in this context. The only saving grace here is that the Christmas ban (and sharia'h laws in general) apply only to the Muslim population — Brunei's micro-minority Christian community is allowed to mark the day but may not engage in excessive or open celebrations. Notably though these rules and restrictions do not apply to the Sultan's own business interests abroad. One of the richest men on the planet, he owns several landmark hotels in Western capitals and all of them have been adorned in Christmas decorations.
The situation in Tajikistan is somewhat similar. Here the Government has banned Christmas trees and other decorations in schools, and this is being viewed as part of a larger effort to clamp down on ‘Western holidays' that are alien to Tajik culture. For example, last year, police reportedly detained people dressed as zombies for Halloween and the year before that, Father Frost was banned from the television. Still, Tajikistan's journey down this path is striking for two reasons: First, even though it is Muslim-majority, the Central Asian republic is still considered to be a nominally secular nation and, second, as a former Soviet state, it has some Christian influence even if the nature of that today is contested. In fact, a Christmas tree is expected to be briefly displayed before the new year in the capital city of Dushanbe.