In this season when the world is in full colors and in celebratory chants of lively tunes, residents of Brunei have been banned to join in the Christmas spirit due to religious implications.
According to the report from Independent, Brunei implemented the ban last year due to the possibility that openly celebrating Christmas might lead to its Muslim population going astray.
"Muslims should be careful not to follow celebrations such as these that are not in any way related to Islam," read the press release of Brunei's Ministry of Religious Affairs late last year. "For it is feared that this could lead to tasyabbuh (imitation) and could unknowingly damage the aqidah (faith) of Muslims."
The Borneo Bulletin reported that the ban is still observed this year and a number of Imams warned Muslims to be careful not to follow the celebration.
"During Christmas celebrations, Muslims following that religion's acts - 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 - are against Islamic faith," Imams said. "In a hadith narrated by Ibnu Umar (may Allah the Almighty be pleased with him), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, 'Whoever imitates a people is one of them'."
The Washington Post reported that Brunei is a closed society on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo and is surrounded by Malaysia with an estimated population of under 430,000. About 78 percent of the country's population is Muslim.
Brunei is being led by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah as an absolute monarch since 1967. Brunei's exports of crude oil and natural gas gave the Sultan a luxurious lifestyle. It has been said that the personal fortune of the sultan is amounting to $20 billion. He currently resides at Istana Nurul Iman, a 1,800-room palace, and is considered to be the largest residence of the head-of-state.
