Somalian Ministry Bans Christmas Celebrations

Ghana Web reports that yesterday in Somlia top officials of the Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs held a news conference to announce that Chrismas celebrations would be banned in Somalia. Sheikh Ali Dhere, Director of Religious Matters at the Ministry told the news conference:

We alert fellow Muslims in Somalia that some festivities to mark Christian Days will take place around the world in this week.  It is prohibited to celebrate those days in this country.

Director General of the Ministry, Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow Aden, added that copies of the directive had been delivered to hotels and meeting places in Mogadishu. Officials said nothing about whether the ban applies to non-Muslim foreign workers and residents. This is the first time since 1991 that such a ban has been issued.

Obama and Other World Leaders Send Christmas Greetings

It is Christmas Day, and political leaders around the world have broadcast or posted holiday greetings. From the White House, Christmas greetings come from President Obama in his Weekly Address, saying in part:

So many people all across the country are helping out at soup kitchens, buying gifts for children in need, or organizing food or clothing drives for their neighbors.  For families like ours, that service is a chance to celebrate the birth of Christ and live out what He taught us – to love our neighbors as we would ourselves; to feed the hungry and look after the sick; to be our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper.

Other world leaders have also sent Christmas greetings to their nations and the world.  Here are Christmas greetings from Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper. According to The Guardian, Queen Elizabeth's annual Christmas broadcast this afternoon will include  behind-the-scenes video filmed after the christening of Prince George of Cambridge. The Times of Israel reprints part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Christmas greetings to Christians around the world. Associated Press of Pakistan reprints the Christmas greetings sent by Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain.  And from a not-quite head of state, here is a Christmas and New Year message from Maryam Rajavi, President elect of National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Saturnalia Billboard Angers Town Residents

In the small town of Pitman, New Jersey, for over 40 years a large banner proclaiming "Keep Christ in Christmas" has hung over a street in the city's business district. Philly.com reports that the Freedom from Religion Foundation has been rebuffed for several years in its attempt to get permission to put up a competing sign, so instead they have now rented billboard space at a busy intersection to display their message: "Keep the Saturn in Saturnalia."  This has apparently incensed some Pitman residents, and protests are escalating.  On Sunday, a family attempted to shroud the billboard with a picture of Jesus, and on Tuesday night, two men attempted unsuccessfully to burn down the billboard after pouring gasoline at its base.  The police chief says that patrols near the billboard will be increased, and the arsonists will be prosecuted if caught.

Nativity Scene On Air Base Creates Controversy

The annual flare up over religious displays on public property at Christmas time appears to have moved this year to military bases. AP reports that at Shaw Air Force base in South Carolina last Friday, a group of volunteers from the base chapel set up a nativity display near a small lake where a tree lighting ceremony was scheduled for Friday evening.  The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a church-state watchdog, lodged a complaint with the Pentagon and officials ordered the display taken down because it reflects only one religious tradition.  God and Country blog details some of the negative reaction to the removal of the display.

Festivus Beer Can Pole Will Share Florida Capitol Rotunda With Nativity Display

In Florida, the state's Department of Management Services allows private individuals and groups to set up temporary displays in the Capitol building, so long as they go through an application process and meet certain guidelines.  The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday that the Department has approved an application by an ACLU member to set up a 6-foot tall "Festivus" pole made from empty beer cans in the Capitol rotunda where display of a nativity scene has already been approved.  The Department of Management Services website lists the many different displays that have been approved currently and for the coming months. They include a Free Thought banner already set up by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, said of the display honoring the Seinfeld- created Festivus holiday: "[T]hey have a right to exercise freedom of speech, that's what America is about. It doesn't faze me, it doesn't faze the God I serve." [Thanks to Eduardo Penalver via Religionlaw for the lead.]

White House Holiday Page Now Up On Its Website

The White House has launched its 2013 Holiday Page on its website. It includes videos of White House holiday events, suggestions for crafts projects, and social media postings from White House guests about their holiday experiences. The White House is also featuring an invitation for those who interact with it regularly on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to register for a chance to attend an in-person White House Holiday Social on Dec. 16.

2013 Capitol Christmas Tree Lit In Ceremony

On Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner hosted the ceremony to light the 88-foot tall 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree. As reported on the U.S. Department of Agriculture blog, this year's tree was harvested from Colville National Forest in Washington state and is decorated with fish-shaped ornaments, birds and stars made by people in Washington state designed to reflect the 2013 theme, "Sharing Washington’s Good Nature." AP reports on the ceremony:

House Speaker John Boehner flipped the switch that lit the Capitol Christmas Tree, helped by the six-year-old son of an Iraq war veteran.

Washington Congressman Jim McDermott said Christmas is about a "child that came into the world and changed the world." He added, "I hope this tree will remind us of Jesus' call to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to clothe the naked and to take care of the sick."

The U.S. Marine Band played "O Come all ye Faithful," ''Joy to the World," ''O Holy Night" and other Christmas hymns.