Brunei bans public celebration of Christmas.

[Valigarmander]

An actual War on Christmas.

Brunei has banned public celebrations of Christmas, warning that putting up festive decorations or singing carols could threaten the country's Muslim faith.

The conservative Islamic country on the island of Borneo allows non-Muslims to celebrate Christmas, but only within their communities, and they must first alert the authorities.

At least 65 per cent of the 420,000-strong population of the oil-rich state are Muslims.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement: "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."

In a warning to Muslims earlier this month, a group of Imams warned that any celebration "not in any way related to Islam” could lead to "‘tasyabbuh’ (imitation) and unknowingly damage the ‘aqidah’ (faith) of Muslims".

“During Christmas celebrations, Muslims following that religion’s acts â€" such as using their religious symbols like cross, lighting candles, making Christmas trees and singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings, using signs praising the religion, putting up decorations or creating sounds and doing anything that amounts to respecting their religion â€" are against Islamic faith,” the Imams said, according to the Borneo Bulletin.

“Some may think that it is a frivolous matter and should not be brought up as an issue. But as Muslims and as a Zikir Nation, we must keep it (following other religions’ celebrations) away as it could affect our Islamic faith.”

Some Brunei residents rejected the ban, by posting Christmas pictures on social media using the #MyTreedom hashtag.

Brunei, a former British protectorate, is run as an absolutist Muslim monarchy by the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, 67.

Political discontent is limited thanks to a high standard of living and free education and health care, although members of the royal family have been criticised for their extravagant lifestyles.

Michael Jackson, the late pop singer, was reportedly paid more than £10 million to give a concert in Brunei in 1996 to mark the sultan’s 50th birthday.

Last year, the sultan caused controversy by introducing Sharia criminal law, which allows for punishments including stoning, whipping and amputation.

This policy triggered a boycott of the hotel chain owned by the Sultan of Brunei’s sovereign wealth investment agency by a group of celebrities, fashion designers and other famous names.

Backed by the likes of Stephen Fry, Stella McCartney and Sir Richard Branson, the rich, famous and chic were urged not to book into any of the Dorchester Collection venues, including the Dorchester in London, Le Meurice in Paris, the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA and Il Principe in Milan.

[pr126]

Brunei has banned public celebrations of Christmas, warning that putting up festive decorations or singing carols could threaten the country's Muslim faith.

Why so insecure in their faith?

[SGOS]

In Brunei:

There's a war on Christmas because there's a Christmas war on Islam.  Who started this shit anyway?

Some Christians say the Christian god is NOT the same god as Allah, and some Muslims say it's the same god; The God of Abraham.  But not all Christians or Muslims agree with others in their own faith.

People argue about the nature of God while they claim one cannot understand God, but believers give rather precise descriptions
of the nature of this God they supposedly cannot understand.

Round and round they go.  In order to give some intellectual credibility to such ridiculous nonsense, some academic boneheads created a pseudo philosophical study called Theology.  It's the study of supernatural nonsense of the imagination, the world of the unseen, the spirits and the demons.  And they debate the nature of these things as if they are actually real.  Believe it or not, theology is an actual field of study, and you can get a degree in it.  You can then be considered an expert on imaginary things, and you can enlighten others.  WTF??

[Solomon Zorn]

The "War On Christmas..." When I hear that phrase I think of the Lobo comic book Christmas special, where the Easter Bunny hires Lobo to kill Santa Claus.


It came out in 1991.





In the U.S., they took Jesus out of Christmas long before I was born. The occasional nativity scene notwithstanding. It's always been more about real things for me. When I was young, of course, getting presents. As I got older that changed to giving presents. Now I just enjoy the whole process of the day: exchanging gifts, eating dinner, drinking some wine and beer, and enjoying the company of family. Most all of the clothes I own were Christmas gifts. I don't have room for a Christmas tree, but my sister has a huge collection of Hallmark ornaments on hers and not a one of them has anything to do with Jesus.

Blame Santa! :a035:



What can I say about Brunei? Fuck Brunei! The whole world should boycott the fuckers, not just a few celebrities!

[Baruch]

Brunei is next to Indonesia ... and Indonesia has had some (perhaps tribal type) warfare against Christians by Muslims fairly recently.  Malaysia is also nearby, and is pretty hostile to anything liberal.

This could be handled diplomatically, but cutting off offending countries via trade and diplomacy and military support.  If you offend us; no trade, no diplomatic relationship, no military support, no tourism.  Good enough for Nato vs Russia.

In the case of Indonesia (whose most recent genocide was in Timor) ... this would end the Nike shoe imports to the US.

[Solomon Zorn]

Brunei is next to Indonesia ... and Indonesia has had some (perhaps tribal type) warfare against Christians by Muslims fairly recently.  Malaysia is also nearby, and is pretty hostile to anything liberal.

This could be handled diplomatically, but cutting off offending countries via trade and diplomacy and military support.  If you offend us; no trade, no diplomatic relationship, no military support, no tourism.  Good enough for Nato vs Russia.

In the case of Indonesia (whose most recent genocide was in Timor) ... this would end the Nike shoe imports to the US.

More likely it would just force Nike to move their factories. But human rights always take a back seat to money.

[Solomon Zorn]

Round and round they go.  In order to give some intellectual credibility to such ridiculous nonsense, some academic boneheads created a pseudo philosophical study called Theology.  It's the study of supernatural nonsense of the imagination, the world of the unseen, the spirits and the demons.  And they debate the nature of these things as if they are actually real.  Believe it or not, theology is an actual field of study, and you can get a degree in it.  You can then be considered an expert on imaginary things, and you can enlighten others.  WTF??

I want a degree in Marvel Comics. That's the new mythology. No faith required.

[SGOS]

I want a degree in Marvel Comics. That's the new mythology. No faith required.

It's odd that the list of gods fallen out of favor are now called mythological, while the gods now in favor are considered real.  They all have the common trait that they are unprovable and based more on popularity than on reason.  Still they come and go.  Granted, the currently fashionable have had a long run in the collective psyche, some longer than others, but there is nothing that warrants belief in the currently favored any more than the fallen.  You would think that people would look at the history of gods and come to some kind of extrapolation, put two and two together, and question the validity of the current gods.  The gods of the past were worshiped with the same fervor as the gods of this millennium.  But now the old gods have been discarded as false for no more logic than the reasons they were once embraced.  Go figure.

[Baruch]

I would be willing to worship the new Star Wars heroine, Rey ;-)

[SGOS]

That new Swedish actress that played the robot in Ex Machina and played the heroine in The Man from Uncle is worship worthy also.  I would like to be pen pals with her, but she's too busy I guess.

[pr126]

[SGOS]

I heard an interesting sidebar on NPR yesterday.  Apparently it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in Massachusetts until 1870 when the Federal Government declared it a national holiday.  The reason was that the colony was settled by Puritans, who came to the US to worship freely (as well as to force everyone else to worship as they demanded), and Puritans believed it was necessary to clean the Christian doctrine of all things that were fun or (and this is what I found most interesting) of pagan origin.  And since Christmas is just a pagan holiday with a facelift, it had to go.  People were required to work or go to school unless Christmas fell on the Sabbath. Men were assigned to police schools and workplaces to make sure everything was fully operating.

[Baruch]

Great self portrait, Pr126 ;-)

[GreatLife]

And since Christmas is just a pagan holiday with a facelift, it had to go.  People were required to work or go to school unless Christmas fell on the Sabbath. Men were assigned to police schools and workplaces to make sure everything was fully operating.

The thing you might be missing are the Christian denominations role. The puritans were Protestant. Christmas literally breaks down to Christ's Mass - a special mass held on the last day of a multi-day pagan celebration called Saturnalia.

Resistance to Christmas was also due (mostly) to the fact that the Puritans did not want to celebrate what was, at the time, a Roman Catholic holy day.

Celebrating a holy day associated with the pope was not likely a popular position at the time...