A quiet Christmas in Myanmar as ban on festivities sets in

(THESTRAITTIMES)Boatsareapopularandrelativelycheapformoftransportationintheworld'slargestarchipelagonationwhichspansmorethan17,000islandswithapopulationof256million.Seaaccidentsarecommon,withboatsoftenovercrowdedandsafetyregulationspoorlyenforced.

Brunei'sChristianshavebeenquietlypreparingforChristmasbehindcloseddoorsandinchurches,asthegovernmenthasbannedopendisplaysofChristmastreesandSantaClausfiguressincelastyear,anddisallowsMuslimsfromjoininginthecelebrations.

Thosewhobreaktherulesonthesecouldbefined20,000Bruneidollarsorserveajailtermofuptofiveyears,accordingtoprovisionsinitsSyariahPenalCodeOrder2013law.

UstazHajiAnwariHajiRawee,aclericfromBrunei'sReligiousAffairsMinistry'spropagationdivision,saidthebanwasintroducedtopreventdeviationfromtheIslamicfaith.

"IfMuslimsofferwishesofMerryChristmas,itmeanstheygiverecognitiontothatreligionandconsiderittobeacceptablebyAllah.Butthatcannotbe,asourreligionsaysthereisonlyoneGod,notmanyGods,"hetoldTheStraitsTimesyesterday.

Fortheoil-richnationof423,000people,theshiftfrombeingaMuslim-majoritycountryintothefirstinSouth-eastAsiathatfollowsstrictIslamiclawbeganlastyear.About10percentofBruneiansareChristians.

SultanHassanalBolkiahstartedtoimplementhudud,ortheIslamicpenalcode,fromMay1lastyear.Themoveledtocriticismfromhumanrightsgroupsashududincludespunishmentssuchaswhipping,stoningandamputationoflimbs.

AFilipinoworkerinBrunei,whodeclinedtobenamed,recalledthatinpreviousyearshecouldhearChristmassongsplayinginthemalls,butnotthisyear.

"IwantedtobuyChristmascardsbutIcouldnotfindonehereanymore.IalsohavenotseenChristmastreesforsale.Myfriendswhohavelivedherelongerboughttheirtreesyearsagosotheywillreusethose,"hetoldTheStraitsTimes.

BruneiimamsearlierthismonthwarnedMuslimsinaFridaysermonnottofollowthecustomsofotherreligions.

"Usingreligioussymbolslikethecross,lightingcandles,makingChristmastreesandsingingreligioussongs,sendingChristmasgreetings...areagainsttheIslamicfaith,"saidaBorneoBulletinreportonthesermon.

OfficialslikeUstazHajiAnwarisaidthebandoesnotmeanMuslimsarehostiletopeopleofotherfaiths,astheideabehindtherestrictionisnottoprohibitothersfrompractisingtheirreligionprivately.

HeaddedthatthebanwasalsonotparticulartoChristmasasthelawappliestootherfestivecelebrationssuchasChineseNewYear.

AspokesmanfortheReligiousAffairsMinistry'spubliccommunicationsdepartmentsaidthebanwasintroducedlastyearandtherehasnotbeenanynewstatementonthisissuesince.

WhilethedirectiveissuedbytheministryvialocalnewspaperBruneiTimesexpressedthegovernment'sintentiontocontroltheactofcelebratingChristmas"excessivelyandopenly",Christianssaythisdidnotcomeasashockastheywereusedtoholdingmutedcelebrations.

"It(thedirective)hasnotmademuchdifferenceinourworshipatthechurchandprivatecelebrationsathome,itisalreadysomethingthathasbeenpractisedovertheyears,"aBruneianChristiantoldTheStraitsTimes.Likeseveralotherscontacted,hedeclinedtobenamed.

Themajordifference,hesaid,wasthenoticeablelackofcommercialChristmasdecorationscomparedtopreviousyears."Itdoestakeawaysomeoftheatmosphere...butweChristiansstayfocusedonthejoythatcomesfromGodratherthanexternalfactors."