Father Christmas is a Muslim

By Terry Lacey

(December 30, Jakarta, Sri Lanka Guardian) In Indonesia the latest news to encourage Christian-Muslim dialogue and reconciliation, despite some reports of harassment of Christian groups attempting to build churches by hardline Muslims, is that Father Christmas is actually a Muslim and lives in Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post, 24.12.09).

On Christmas Eve The Jakarta Post revealed that Father Christmas is a Muslim called Suroto, who formerly worked as a motorcycle taxi driver, called locally an ‘ojek’.

Suroto made the headlines because he has been Father Christmas for six years, so he has a track record, or his sleigh is leaving a track behind it in the shopping mall snow.

Moreover, several hundred Jakarta residents dress up as Father Christmas every year, and we are not sure how many of them are Muslim or Christian (or Hindu or Buddhist) because in Indonesia your religious affiliation is not a requirement for this particular job.

But you should be nice and well mannered, and not too thin and be able to remember “Ho Ho Ho” and wave at children all day.

Not to mention thousands of shop assistants and restaurant staff who also dress up in red and white suits and gowns, with funny hats.

It probably helps that the colors of Indonesia are red and white, so it all looks very patriotic. That may help explain why Father Christmas has taken off in Indonesia, complete with sleigh and elves.

Suroto only has one name because in Indonesian culture, especially that of Java, some people only have one name, so its their first name, their last name and their only name.

Suroto did wonder if it was halal, or religiously acceptable. For him to be Father Christmas since he is a Muslim but his explanations seem diplomatic and theologically sound.

Firstly he sees Father Christmas as a Christian character rather than a religious symbol.

In fact most Indonesians don’t know how Father Christmas started. One newspaper Copy Editor I asked thought he started in Germany or Holland as being St Nicholas and dressed in black because he came down the chimney. Then he thought he changed to red and white to advertise Coca Cola.

There is also an apocryphal story of a Japanese Christmas card showing Father Christmas being crucified. But despite this reported attempt at a religious angle, there is no historical or theological relationship between Father Christmas and God, the Holy Trinity or Jesus, except that Christmas is the day that the birth of Jesus is celebrated.

In practice, Christmas day has become a wider commercial or cultural event in which non-Christians join and in Indonesia despite reservations from some clerics and rural Muslims in Java, it has become part of a sequence of happy holidays, when people have a jolly time, dress up and get and give cards or presents.

Moreover Indonesians get multi-cultural holidays, so there are more of them, for example there are three kinds of New Year (Islamic, European calendar-based, and Chinese).

So in Indonesia it´s not surprising if the person saying Happy Christmas to you is wearing a hijab.

Some social pessimists think the pressure from hard liners against Happy Christmas is growing with global extremism. Such sentiments may be a little more noticeable, but are mainly a reaction to the pace and breadth of economic and social change, with some people feeling a bit left out.

As society globalizes and changes and the number in poverty and ignorance falls, with people gaining income and confidence, then Happy Christmas represents a celebration of diversity rather than a threat to religious identity. And it makes piles of money.

Suroto asked a religious leader in his neighborhood if it was okay for a Muslim to be Father Christmas, “he said it was okay because I was only looking for an honest job.”

Suroto finally produced a more theological justification when he said “Also I really enjoy entertaining the children. Surely making people happy is in compliance with my religion.”

Terry Lacey is a development economist who writes from Jakarta on modernization in the Muslim world, investment and trade relations with the EU and Islamic banking.