There will be no Christmas spirit in the small, oil-rich country of Brunei as the local government has banned any form of public celebration of the special holiday all across the land.
The order comes straight from Hassanal Bolkiah, the country's leader, who has banned the public celebration of Christmas in Brunei. Offenders of the policy caught by local authorities will serve up to five years in prison. Offenders are not limited only to non-Muslims, as the local government adds that any Muslims caught with even just the slightest amount of Christmas paraphernalia can also serve the same sentence.
The decision was made because Christmas goes against Muslim belief and could endanger the country's religion. "During Christmas celebrations, Muslims following that religion's acts - such as using their religious symbols like cross, lighting candles, making Christmas trees and singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings, using signs praising the religion, putting up decorations or creating sounds and doing anything that amounts to respecting their religion - are against Islamic faith," Imams said to Borneo Bulletin.
Daily Mail adds that the policy does not prohibit non-Muslims from celebrating the holiday within their own communities, as long as it is not done publicly or in the presence of Muslims, who make up 65 percent of the nation's population.
Acts that are included in the prohibition include publicly displaying Christmas trees, Santa hats, Christmas decorations and singing of Christmas carols.
Brunei is a small nation in the island of Borneo, where it is an illegal act to propagate any religion aside from Islam. World Bank places the country's population at 417,394 residents, 20 percent of whom are non-Muslim. Some Brunei residents have risked jail time by posting Christmas celebration online as part of a #MyTreedom campaign that fights for the right to practice religious beliefs in strictly Muslim countries.
