Indonesia: Fatwa bans Muslims from wearing Santa hats
In another religious bustle, Islamic clerics in Indonesia issued a fatwa that bans Muslims from wearing Santa Claus hats and other Christmas clothing, mainly directed at staff of shops and malls that are asked by their employers to wear such outfits during the festive season.
The Indonesian Ulema Council said that people should respect Christians’ right to celebrate, but should not join in because it is “haram,” i.e. not permitted in Islam.
Published here (in Bahasa Indonesia), the religious ruling says that the government should “prevent, monitor, and punish” businesses who force Muslims to wear clothing which they feel goes against their religion.
The ruling prompted a raid on Santa hats by members of the hardline Islam Defenders Front at a shopping mall in Surabaya, who, escorted by police, went to check whether any shops had required staff to wear Christmas clothing.
Police have been criticised for helping to enforce the fatwa as it isn’t legally binding, as well as for appearing to support a hardline group.
Critics in social media said that it was difficult to make sense of the reasoning behind the fatwa since it was exaggerated to see a Santa hat as a religious symbol because there is no explicit mentioning of the figure in the Bible and it is rather a mythical figure created by Western culture and a symbol of consumerism, often opposed by Christian themselves.
Others, including Muslim shop assistants, said that the Islamic clerics should promote more tolerance since wearing Christmas accessories was “part of mutual respect for other religions”.
In another religious bustle, Islamic clerics in Indonesia issued a fatwa that bans Muslims from wearing Santa Claus hats and other Christmas clothing, mainly directed at staff of shops and malls that are asked by their employers to wear such outfits during the festive season. The Indonesian Ulema Council said that people should respect Christians’ right to celebrate, but should not join in because it is "haram," i.e. not permitted in Islam. Published here (in Bahasa Indonesia), the religious ruling says that the government should "prevent, monitor, and punish" businesses who force Muslims to wear clothing which they feel goes...
In another religious bustle, Islamic clerics in Indonesia issued a fatwa that bans Muslims from wearing Santa Claus hats and other Christmas clothing, mainly directed at staff of shops and malls that are asked by their employers to wear such outfits during the festive season.
The Indonesian Ulema Council said that people should respect Christians’ right to celebrate, but should not join in because it is “haram,” i.e. not permitted in Islam.
Published here (in Bahasa Indonesia), the religious ruling says that the government should “prevent, monitor, and punish” businesses who force Muslims to wear clothing which they feel goes against their religion.
The ruling prompted a raid on Santa hats by members of the hardline Islam Defenders Front at a shopping mall in Surabaya, who, escorted by police, went to check whether any shops had required staff to wear Christmas clothing.
Police have been criticised for helping to enforce the fatwa as it isn’t legally binding, as well as for appearing to support a hardline group.
Critics in social media said that it was difficult to make sense of the reasoning behind the fatwa since it was exaggerated to see a Santa hat as a religious symbol because there is no explicit mentioning of the figure in the Bible and it is rather a mythical figure created by Western culture and a symbol of consumerism, often opposed by Christian themselves.
Others, including Muslim shop assistants, said that the Islamic clerics should promote more tolerance since wearing Christmas accessories was “part of mutual respect for other religions”.
