No Santa, no oak tree, no bells in fatwa committee’s Christmas guideline

PETALING JAYA: Christmas trees and other decorations that have come to symbolise the celebration worldwide should not be around if a Muslim plans to attend a Christmas event, according to a guideline issued more than a decade ago by the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Affairs.

The guideline also forbids Muslims from attending Christmas parties that have candles, bells or Santa Claus, the pre-Christian character that has become inseparable from Christmas celebrations and popular with children worldwide.

The guideline was issued following a meeting in April 2005 by the fatwa committee of the council.

It was recently uploaded on the Facebook page of Zamihan Mat Zin, the controversial preacher from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

“In determining the non-Muslim celebrations that can be attended by Muslims, several main criteria should serve as guidelines so as not to contradict the teachings of Islam,” reads an English version of the guideline made available to FMT.

It also forbids Muslims from attending Christmas functions that have religious songs or the use of the cross, or “speech or gestures in the form of a praise to the non-Muslim religion”.

Red costumes such as those worn by Santa Claus, as well as church bells and Christmas trees, are things in a Christmas party that makes it off limits to Muslims, according to the fatwa committee.

The statement also says a Christmas event should not have “acts that stir the sensitivity of the Muslim community in Malaysia”.

“The meaning of ‘stir the sensitivity of the Muslim community’ is a thing, act, word or situation which if conducted will offend the feelings of Muslims about their beliefs and practices,” the statement reads.

Muslims wishing Christmas greetings and other non-Muslim celebrations have recently become an issue in Malaysia, with Muslim scholars issuing different interpretations.

In November, Zimbabwean Muslim scholar Ismail Menk, who is popular among Malaysian Muslims, sparked controversy when he advised Muslims against saying “Merry Christmas”.

Following this, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar ordered a ban on Menk from speaking in Johor, saying his views could harm racial unity and harmony.