Interfaith outreach?

(IBT) – The Somali government on Tuesday banned celebrating Christmas and ordered security forces to stop any public gatherings from observing the Christian holiday. Religious leaders said such festivities could threaten the East African country’s Muslim community and inspire attacks from al-Shabab insurgents.

“Those celebrations are not in any way related to Islam,” Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow, director general of Somalia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, said Tuesday, according to BBC News.

Foreigners in Somalia are allowed to celebrate Christmas in their own homes and peacekeepers are also free to mark the holiday at United Nations and African Union compounds. However, hotels and other public places are barred from partaking in any events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations, which officials said are contrary to Islamic culture and faith.

Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, deputy chairman of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia, told local media said such celebrations might motivate Islamic extremist group al-Shabab to launch attacks in the Muslim majority nation.

“We [Islamic Scholars] are warning against the celebration of such events which are not relevant to the principles of our religion. Such events give also al-Shabaab to carry out attacks,” Gurhan reportedly said Tuesday.