Somalia banned Christmas and New Year Celebrations just days after a similar move by the Sultan of Brunei. Here are the three reasons that provoked Somalia to take that extreme step.
- All Somalis are Muslims. There is question or need of Celebration Christmas as there is no Christian community.
- Religious leaders feel that “Christmas is only for Christians but not for Muslims”. They believe that the culture of celebrating Christmas and New Year is against Islam and it could damage faith of Muslims.
- This is the important one: Security. They fear that the Christian kind of Celebrations might provoke further attacks by the Muslim terror groups.
Director General of Ministry of Religious Affairs of Somalia, Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow warned that security forces will break-up any gatherings held in the capital city Mogadishu. ‘All events related to Christmas and New Year Celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture, which could damage faith of the Muslim community,’ he added.
Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, deputy chairman of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia, stated that Christian events might provoke further attacks by the Muslim terror group Al Shabaab.
In 2014, the militant group carried out an attack on Christmas Day in capital Mogadishu.