Trees at mosque cut down as they resembled Christmas trees

Officials at a mosque have reportedly cut down 10 pine trees because they were said to resemble Christmas trees. 

The religious temple where the firs were banished is in the Indonesian province of Aceh, where citizens are ruled by ultra-strict Islamic Sharia law.

Chairman of the Baitul Makmur Meulaboh Mosque named only as Anwar said as well as looking like a Christmas tree, the trees had become unkempt and obscured the view of the building from the road. 

A spokesman for the West Aceh Regency Council slammed the decision, saying the reasons given made ‘no sense’. 

He told Cakradunia: ‘In that case why don’t we hack down all the pine trees in West Aceh? 

‘How much has been budgeted all this time to maintain those trees only for them to be thrown away just like that?’

With the trees now felled, there is no shade from the 30C sun for street vendors or parked cars.    

As well as backlash from the local council, the mosque has been pilloried by the city’s Environment Agency, who dismissed claims the trees were not maintained. 

Ten trees in total were chopped down because mosque officials decided they looked like a Christmas tree (pictured)

Head of the Meulaboh Environment Agency, Adi Yunanda, said: ‘All this time, the trees in Meulaboh have been maintained. 

The agency budgeted nearly £400 a year to trim the ten trees and more than £800 in fertiliser.    

Adi added that the mosque caretakers unilaterally came up with the decision to cut down the trees — which were public property — but did not mention any possible sanctions for them.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia given regional autonomy to enforce Islamic sharia law. 

The province has been criticized for systemic human rights abuses, including public floggings for alleged adulterers and those suspected of homosexuality.