Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-Linked Clerics: It Is Forbidden To Celebrate Christmas, Offer Congratulations Or Give Gifts

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On December 25, 2024, 'Abd Al-Rahim 'Atoun aka Abu 'Abdallah Al-Shami, the chief religious official of Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), reposted a Telegram post he had originally published in December 2023,[1] warning Muslims not to celebrate Christmas or congratulate others on the holiday. The post features a recitation of the Quranic verses 19:33-36, which state: "That is Jesus, son of Mary. [And this is] a word of truth, about which they dispute. It is not for Allah to take a son! Glory be to Him. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, 'Be!' And it is! [Jesus also declared,] 'Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him [alone]. This is the Straight Path.'" 'Atoun commented: "Christmas, or … the birthday of God, goes against our religion, belief, monotheism, and faith. It is absolutely impermissible for a Muslim to celebrate it, and it is likewise forbidden for him to congratulate non-Muslims on it or give them gifts on this holiday of theirs."[2]

On the previous day, 'Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Mahdi, a Syrian jihadi cleric who harshly criticized HTS prior to its offensive which toppled the Assad regime but subsequently backed it and the new HTS-affiliated Syrian administration,[3] published a Telegram post ruling that Muslims may not celebrate Christmas. According to Al-Mahdi, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that it is forbidden to celebrate Christmas, New Year's, Nowruz, or other holidays of "polytheists," and similarly forbidden to congratulate others on those holidays or give gifts. The jihadi cleric quoted a hadith according to which the Prophet Muhammad forbade Muslims to imitate unbelievers. Quoting from the works of medieval scholars, he noted that they forbade Muslims to celebrate Christian, Jewish, or Zoroastrian holidays, and some even considered giving gifts on these occasions to be an act of unbelief.[4]

On December 23, a Christmas tree erected in Al-Suqaylabiyah, Hama governorate, which was captured in the recent offensive, was set on fire by armed men, reportedly Uzbek mujahideen affiliated with HTS. After the tree was restored, a cleric linked to HTS spoke to local Christians, blaming foreigners for the incident and promising that their rights would be protected. Commenting on the incident, Al-Mahdi declared that it was a violation of shari'a to allow Christians to raise the cross, accusing Christians of overreacting by publicly protesting following the torching of the tree.[5]

Muhammad Al-Bashir, Prime Minister of the HTS-linked transitional Syrian government, issued an order giving government employees two days off on December 25-26, without explicitly mentioning Christmas.[6]