The Sultan of Brunei has banned Christmas in his tiny country over fears that it could lead the majority Muslim population astray,
The Washington Post reports.
The ban was originally instituted last year, and warnings have been issued again this year. The country of less than 430,000 located on the island of Borneo is at least 65 percent Muslim and Sharia has been instituted by Hassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of Brunei.
No public displays of Christmas decorations are allowed, nor are the singing of Christmas carols. Christians are allowed to celebrate privately, but must report their celebrations to authorities, accoding to
The Telegraph.
"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.
Imams earlier this month warned that celebrations "not in any way related to Islam” could bring about "'tasyabbuh' (imitation) and unknowingly damage the 'aqidah' (faith) of Muslims."
Breaking the law could result in a $20,000 fine and/or 5 years in prison.
That hasn't stopped some citizens from criticizing the ban, tweeting pictures of themselves with Christmas trees with the hashtag #MyTreedom.
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