05 January 2007

Christmas holiday in Somalia?

Eric Margolis writes
Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia under cover of the Christmas holiday was a blatant aggression that is likely to widen the arc of conflict across the dangerously turbulent Horn of Africa. It also marks the opening of a new front in Washington's war against Islamic militants and reformers

"Under cover of the Christmas holiday?

Does Somalia (a predominantly Muslim country) have a Christmas holiday?

And though Ethiopia is predominantly Christian, it follows the old calendar, and will only be celebrating Christmas on 7 January.

I'm not saying it is impossible, but it is at least questionable -- does anyone know if either country has a Christmas holiday on 25 December?

2 comments:

Nathan said...

It may be that the writer intends us to understand that the "cover" was in the West, as our eyes were likely elsewhere than the Horn of Africa, at least as far as the general public goes. In the same way, the new Speaker of the House in the US let Rep. John Conyers off the hook for ethics violations over the holidays.

What is more concerning in that article is the author's assertion that the UIC is a good thing because it has brought law and order to Somalia. Law and order may be good things, but at the price of sharia, I would beg to differ.

Steve Hayes said...

Since the population of Somalia is 99,9% Muslim, I don't think the introduction of Sharia law there woudl necessarily be a bad thing, at least as alternative to self-seeking warlords. In pluralist societies like Sudan or Nigeria it is a different matter.

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