“For promotional purposes, many companies ask their employees to wear holiday season paraphernalia, including Santa hats, when serving customers ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations. Recently, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict banning companies from forcing staff to wear such items, deeming it haram.”
When has the Indonesian Ulema Council or the Islam Defenders Front moved so energetically against the jihad terrorists who have supposedly twisted and hijacked the peaceful teachings of Islam?
“Police escort FPI members during raid on Santa hats in Surabaya malls,” Jakarta Post, December 18, 2016:
The Surabaya Police escorted Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members on Sunday as they raided shopping malls in the East Java capital to check whether outlets had ordered employees to wear Christmas attire such as Santa hats.
For promotional purposes, many companies ask their employees to wear holiday season paraphernalia, including Santa hats, when serving customers ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations. Recently, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict banning companies from forcing staff to wear such items, deeming it haram.
Hundreds of officers from the Surabaya Police and East Java Police’s Mobile Brigade escorted the Surabaya FPI members during their raid on the malls, tribunnews.com reported Sunday.
Surabaya Police chief Sr. Comr. M. Iqbal was seen leading the operation.

john spielman says
Indonesia needs to change its name to EAST CRAPISTAN
A Harris USA says
John, just remember this is where Obama was raised, and schooled. BTW, has anyone but me noticed that everyone is saying Merry Christmas?? TV and even advertisements are saying the word that Obama found sooo offensive CHRISTMAS!!! I see it on the news, adds, and even in public people are saying Merry Christmas!! Trump was right, he said we will say Merry Christmas, and now we are.. And to all a Merry Christmas!!! And happy Jan 20th!!! Thank YOU GOD!!!
eur says
islam..no party.
Charles says
Well, there goes the neighborhood!
Guess I will not be taking my company offer of a promotion to Indonesia after all!
Keys says
The simple fashion solution for these Indonesian salespeople is to merge the Santa hat with red hijabs or burqas during the Christmas season; for men red Keffiyehs with a big white ball and dyed white beards. We must lean to compromise and say Happy Holidays !
?
PRCS says
Although Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation, most, however, are not particularly observant, and many are not Muslims, at all.
The article concerned companies ordering Muslim employees to don such garb.
RO says
The problem is in Eid Mubarak islamic holiday, many of those exact same companies order the employees to put muslim’s accessories despite whether the employees are muslims or not..so prohibiting one while allowing the other is certainly a very one sided justice .. don’t you think ?
PRCS says
If that is the case—
What do non-Muslims do in that circumstance?
What are Indonesia’s laws in that regard?
sinantara says
what really is happening, the police is just happy that FPI is busying itself with Santa hats, rather than with more serious mischief. We’re close to Christmass and the police will have to protect churches and that is already a burden on manpower and budgets and they just have uncovered a plot to bomb the palace. So if the children are happy with raiding hats let’s indulge them.
davej says
Any directives to employees should be requests only or they are as disrespectful as the Muslims.
That being said it would be great to see masses of people in the free world expressing their resistance to Islam by volunteering to wear Santa hats in the streets for the next 10 days.
PRCS says
No problem, here.
But, wonder what Indonesia’s laws say about this?
sidney penny says
“When has the Indonesian Ulema Council or the Islam Defenders Front moved so energetically against the jihad terrorists who have supposedly twisted and hijacked the peaceful teachings of Islam?”
Great question Robert Spencer!.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/12/uk-over-1000-muslims-screaming-allahu-akbar-march-in-london-demanding-caliphate-for-second-time-in-a-week
“When have more than 1,000 Muslim protestors in London moved so energetically against the jihad terrorists who have supposedly twisted and hijacked the peaceful teachings of Islam?”
PRCS says
I frequently ask questions of an Indonesian Muslim woman–via twitter–about Islam there.
IMO, per her answers, the average Indonesian Muslim is in denial about Islam’s ugly, uglier, and ugliest teachings.
They make excuses, lots of excuses and criticize their more devout brethren as extremists and terrorists, noting in the process that they, too, are being targeted by them. And, of course, they don’t publicly denounce what literalists are doing because they really do know those folks are not perverting Islam.
Angemon says
What if the companies’ official stance is to suggest employees to do so and they are free to accept or refuse the suggestion, with no repercussions for refusing?
Richard Courtemanche says
Have the Companiues’ CEO were the paraphernalia. Cowards!