COMMENT It is time that the Malaysian church reclaim the true meaning of Christmas, instead of allowing it to be hijacked by the commercial sector or wait until it is banned.

While it is true that the worldwide Christian community is upholding both Somalia and Brunei in prayer against the religious intolerance and persecution this year, a quiet Christmas is not necessarily a letdown to the churches in these two countries.

Even though the rulers in both countries have clearly showed their lack of respect for other communities, and deviate from the true teaching of religious tolerance as practiced by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who understood what it is to respect the religious minorities living in their midst, the churches in these two countries are also rediscovering the true meaning of Christmas.