Rabat, Jan. 17 -- During his Friday sermon on December 28 in Chouhada Mosque in Rabat, an imam stated that celebrating the New Year is sinful and haram (forbidden in Islam), "because it is a Christian holiday." The remarks earned him a ban from preaching by the Moroccan Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs.

The imam, like many Muslim scholars, stressed that Muslims should only celebrate the Islamic holidays, Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice.

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Although the imam reportedly sent a message to the ministry arguing that his sermon was founded on hadiths (stories about the prophet) and sermons by major religio...