Somalia
In December 2015, the government of Somalia cancelled Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in the Muslim country with reasons that the festivities “have nothing to do with Islam.”
“We warn against celebration of Christmas, which is only for Christians,” Sheikh Mohamed Kheyrow, director of Somalia’s ministry of religion, said on state radio.
“This is a matter of faith. The Christmas holiday and its drum beatings have nothing to with Islam.” The government directed the police, national security agencies and officials in the capital Mogadishu to stop any form of Christmas celebrations.
Officials said that Christmas celebrations may attract attacks from the Islamist militants, al Shabaab that had previously targeted hotels in the city. Foreigners were allowed to mark the Christmas holiday in their own homes, but hotels and other public places were prohibited from marking the day.
