Christmas is coming to a close in the U.S. In some regions of the world it has already come and gone, so I thought I'd give a little round up of Christmas happenings across the globe.
THE GOOD:
PAKISTAN: A small Christian community of about 200 in South Waziristan, Pakistan (smack dab in Taliban/al-Qaeda land), got to celebrate their Christmas at their little church inside the safety of an army base, where most congregants happen to live and work. They seem to live in harmony with their Muslim neighbours under the protection of the military.
AUSTRALIA: Largest mosque in Australia backs down from its anti-Christmas fatwa. Even wishing someone a "Merry Christmas" was to be considered a sin. Of course the backtracking was in response to outrage from both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. (H/T TROP)
THE BAD:
INDONESIA: Moderate Indonesia's top clerics told Muslims it would be best not to wish anybody "Merry Christmas", because they weren't entirely sure if it was haram (forbidden) or halal (okay). Christmas parties? Definitely haram. "Happy New Year", on the other hand, is fine.
and
200 or so conservative Muslims pelted about 100 or so Christians with rotten eggs as they were gathering to worship on a plot of land they hope to build a church. The government has barred them from doing so since 2009. (H/T TROP)
ISRAEL: Businesses with Christmas trees faced losing their Kashrut (Kosher) certificates.
KUWAIT: Some radical conservative Muslims in Kuwait called for a ban on Christmas celebrations, but were blasted by liberal groups. Kuwait allows Christians to worship in the 12 or so churches there.
THE UGLY:
NIGERIA: Six Christians, including the pastor, were killed in northern Nigeria as they celebrated midnight mass on Christmas eve. The church was then set on fire. (H/T TROP)
NIGERIA: At least six more killed in another church attack.
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