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Somalia's government has
banned celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country,
saying the festivities might attract Islamist attacks.
"All
events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic
culture, which could damage the faith of the Muslim community," the
director general of the religious affairs ministry told reporters on Tuesday.
BBC Africa Live report continues:
Sheikh
Mohamed Khayrow said security forces had been ordered to break up any such
celebrations. "There should be no activity at all," he said.
Sheikh
Nur Barud Gurhan, of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia, said that
non-Muslim festivities might provoke the ire of the Shebab, East Africa's
Al-Qaeda branch, which is headquartered in Somalia.
"We
are warning against the celebration of such events which are not relevant to
the principles of our religion," Gurhan added, saying it could provoke the
Shebab "to carry out attacks".
Last
year Shebab militants launched a Christmas attack on Mogadishu airport that
killed at least 12 people.
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Somalia's
government says Christmas festivities might attract Islamist attacks ©Mohamed
Abdiwahab (AFP)
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Somalia
is at least the second Muslim majority country to ban Christmas this year,
after Brunei announced a similar prohibition. Somalia also issued a previous
ban in 2013.
Somalia
also follows the Islamic calendar that does not recognize January 1 as the
beginning of the year.
There
are almost no Christians left living in Somalia, although a bombed-out
Italian-built Catholic cathedral remains a city landmark in the capital
Mogadishu.
Foreign diplomats, aid
workers and soldiers living in the fortified airport compound are permitted to
hold private parties.
The
ban on Christmas celebrations in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, does not apply
to non-Muslims living in the city, mayor Yusuf Hussein Jimale
said.
"Non-Muslims
are free to celebrate.We are not after them," he said.
The
ban applied to Muslims, and had been introduced to prevent possible attacks by
militant Islamist group al-Shabab on people who may gather at hotels or other
public places, Mr Jimale added.
Somalia is a
mainly Muslim country, with a very small Christian population. 
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