Santa would come through door if he were decent, mufti says

KEŞAN - Doğan News Agency (DHA)

Santa is not real, says mufti Süleyman Yeniçeri. DHA photo

Santa Claus does not exist, the mufti of the northwestern district of Keşan said today, adding that even if he did, he was not of decent character since he entered houses through chimneys instead of doors.

"It is not known if Santa Claus really lived," Mufti Süleyman Yeniçeri said. "They speak of a place and say he lived there. But it is actually a character invented by the Christian world.”

"Santa Claus enters homes through chimneys and windows, but he would have entered homes through the door if he was a decent person," Yeniçeri said. “We enter homes through doors. The Quran tells us to enter homes through doors. Why would he enter through the chimney?"

The mufti also said Saint Nicholas, whom the Santa Claus persona was believed to be based on, was also a made-up person and a legend.   

'New year' a Christian tradition 

Yeniçeri said new year's celebrations had no place in Turkish culture and that such events came from Christianity.  

"Celebrating an event that originated from Christianity means striving to become like them," Yeniçeri said. "Why would we ever want to live like them? Do they want to become like us?"  

Yeniçeri said Christmas was not a Muslim holiday and said it would be dangerous if one said, "I want to live like a Christian." 

"If one wants to have fun because others do, we need to look into the notion of entertainment. One becomes a sinner if entertainment involves drinking wine and alcohol,” he said.