Country That’s 95% Muslim Declares Christmas A National Holiday
For Christians who are optimistic about the future and the Christianizing of the world can argue a new victory today.
On Christmas Eve, the country of Iraq, which is 95% Muslim declared Christmas to be a national holiday. Christmas was previously a religious break for Christians in Iraq, but now the holiday extends to everyone.
The Iraqi Government posted on Twitter, “The @IraqiGovt announces Christmas Day to be an official holiday across Iraq. Happy Christmas to our Christian citizens, all Iraqis and to all who are celebrating around the world.”
The @IraqiGovt announces Christmas Day to be an official holiday across Iraq. Happy Christmas to our Christian citizens, all Iraqis and to all who are celebrating around the world.
— Government of Iraq – الحكومة العراقية (@IraqiGovt) December 24, 2018
For an Islamic country that is only less than 1% Christian, this is a big deal. The Christian population has been on the decline ever since the war in Iraq which began in 2003. When the war started, many Christians fled the country in order to avoid the war.
Christianity in Iraq, however, is believed to date back to the first century AD with the apostles Thomas and Thaddeus spreading the Gospel to the area.
According to Fox News,
Iraq’s Cabinet formally declared Christmas to be a national holiday as the country’s Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus amid tight security more than a year after Baghdad declared victory over ISIS who sought to eradicate all who did not follow the group’s strict interpretation of Sunni Islam.
Christians have been suffering persecution from areas in Iraq as well as other surrounding nations, that have been under ISIS control. ISIS is indeed a Sunni Muslim militant group. However, Iraq is now about 2/3 Shia and less than 1/3 Sunni Muslim.
I will add that it’s not a complete shocker that a predominantly Muslim nation would allow Jesus to be revered in their country. Islam does actually teach that Jesus was a prophet of Islam, though they deny He was born of a virgin, that He was the Son of God, and that He was crucified.