Somalia bans Christmas

Dec 26, 2013: For the first time since 1991, Somalia’s ministry of justice and religious affairs on Tuesday, announced in Mogadishu, that any celebration of Christmas in the Sunni Muslim nation would be banned. The directive stated that no Christian festivities could be held in Somalia.

The director general of the ministry said that “all security and law enforcement agencies had been instructed to counter any such celebrations,” the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The Sunni Muslim nation of 10 million has one parish, three priests, four sisters, and 100 Catholics, according to Vatican statistics. The ban came just hours before Christmas Day celebrations.

(source: CWN)