New Year’s Eve in Turkey: Santa Taken Before Shari’a Judge, Converts to Islam
(CNSNews.com) – Turks celebrate New Year’s Eve in a big way, but for Islamists it’s a time to protest what they view as a Western, Christian, immoral event, and for one small far-right Islamist party that means a public skit involving Santa and a shari’a court judge.
Turkish media outlets report that members of the Great Unity Party (BBP) in the city of Bolu – roughly halfway between Ankara and Istanbul – staged an “anti-New Year celebration” skit involving a man dressed as Santa. (In Turkey, Santa Claus, decorated trees and gifts are associated with New Year as much as with Christmas.)
The Hurriyet [1] and Zaman [2]dailies reported that the Santa character distributes New Year gifts to passersby before he is apprehended by men dressed as “janissaries” – members of an elite fighting force during the Ottoman period.
“Santa” is then brought before an Islamic court judge.
“The judge asked Santa what he was doing, and learned he was celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ by wearing red and consuming alcohol,” Hurriyet reported.
After the judge hears from other people who are celebrating that there is no coercion involved – that they in fact enjoy the celebration – he releases “Santa.”
“Surprised by the decision, Santa said he heard that the Turks were barbaric,” according to Zaman’s account. “The qadi [judge] answered that there was no room for barbarism or violence in Islam. Moved, Santa converted to Islam by reciting the Islamic shahada, the Muslim profession of faith.”
(The shahada states, “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.”)
Hurriyet quoted a local BBP official who played the role of the judge, Mahmut Alan, as saying, “They [Christians] do not celebrate our holidays, why should we celebrate theirs?” Alan said the party decided to stage the skit “to warn the public.”
In Istanbul, a Muslim university youth group held an “anti-Santa” public rally on Wednesday.
“Around 100 people held posters against celebrations held during New Year’s Eve on the grounds that it is a Christian tradition,” Hurriyet reported [3].
The same group, the Anatolia Youth Association, has in previous years displayed posters depicting an angry Muslim punching a Santa in the face, along with the slogan, Yilbasi ve noel kutlamalarina hayir (“No to New Year and Christmas celebrations.”)
On Twitter, some Turks have posted messages on the subject using the hashtag #MuslumanNoelKutlamaz – “Muslims do not celebrate Christmas.”
Meanwhile, so prevalent are Santa symbols in large Turkish cities at New Year that patrolling police officers in Istanbul will don Santa costumes on Thursday night to mingle with festive crowds in a bid to keep an eye on criminal activity such as pickpocketing or sexual harassment, according to [4] the Milliyet daily.
It said some 15,000 police will patrol the city, some dressed as Santas and others using other disguises, such as shoe shiners or street vendors.
A report [5]in Daily Sabah says Turks’ New Year traditions include donning a pair of red panties “at the stroke of midnight for a fruitful and promising new year.”
“Another tradition involves smashing a pomegranate on your front door at the midnight mark,” it says, “or there is the less messy option of sprinkling salt on your doorstep – all in an effort to usher in prosperity and good fortune for the year to follow.”
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