As we near the Christmas holidays, it’s not exactly rare to find Muslim store or restaurant employees – even those who wear the hijab – wearing Santa hats to mark the occasion.
Should that be a problem for Muslims?
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) seems to think so. They recently advised businesses not to force their Muslim employees to wear Santa hats or any other Christmas accessories at work.
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama begs to differ. He believes that Santa hats – and Christmas as a whole – are not exclusively a Christian tradition.
“Where in the Holy Bible was it written that Santa Claus wore a hat? Let me ask you where the Christmas tree was mentioned [in the Bible]? It wasn’t,” Ahok said at City Hall today, as quoted by Metro TV.
“Christmas now is no longer a Christian Christmas. Christmas is seen as an end of year holiday these days.”
While we agree with most of Ahok’s points, we must also recognize that Christmas is traditionally a Christian holiday, so some people of other faiths might have misgivings if they are forced to celebrate it against their will.
MUI should also be commended in this case as they didn’t forcefully impose their beliefs on the matter. We just hope ignorant hardline groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) won’t butt in on the topic and take drastic actions if people don’t follow their ways.
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