Khalid Samad yesterday 'slammed' the Sultan of Brunei for going overboard by decreeing a maximum five-year prison sentence for Muslims who partake in Christmas celebrations or non-Muslims who celebrate it too openly.
The Parti Amanah Negara information chief told The Star that it was more important to remind Muslims that while it was permissible to wish Christians, the occasion was not part of Muslim celebrations.
“It's a question of giving them proper understanding, which should suffice as protection from them being overzealous or over-involved in such celebrations. Unfortunately, the Sultan’s actions may give the wrong impression as to what Islam is about,” the paper quoted him as saying.
Religious leaders in the oil-rich Brunei sultanate said this month that a ban on Christmas would be strictly enforced, for fear that Muslims could be led astray.
Under the ban, Muslims are forbidden from using religious symbols like crosses, lighting candles, putting up Christmas trees, singing religious songs and sending Christmas greetings, deemed to be against Islamic faith.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR
The decree by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah imposes a five year jail sentence for Muslims violating the ban and although Christians could celebrate, they have been directed not to do so “excessively and openly”.
Khalid, a former PAS central committee member said extreme interpretations of Islam were cropping up and the issue of whether Muslims could utter “Merry Christmas” to wish Christians also surfaced annually.
He said Prophet Muhammad however, practised tolerance and mutual respect towards other religions.I think Khalid is the only Malaysian politician who dared criticise the Sultan of Brunei. However, I am of the opinion that the Sultan - like any other Sultans in Malaysia - have the rights and 'reasons' to issue whatever decree they want for their respective state.
My only question is - are we, as their subjects, have any right to contest it?
Khalid, being a Johorian himself, did not say anything when the Sultan of Johor issued a decree to ban vaping in the state.
By the way, why didn't Khalid say anything about Somalia, an African-Muslim nation that also bans Christmas celebration? And also, Tajikistan?
Besides Brunei, officials in Somalia and Tajikistan have banned Christmas celebrations this year as part of a crackdown on Christian traditions in the majority-Muslim nations.
Somalia's ministry of religion director Sheikh Mohamed Kheyrow announced in a statement that the government is "against celebration of Christmas, which is only for Christians".
"The Christmas holiday and its drum beatings have nothing to do with Islam," Sheikh Kheyrow said in an announcement on national radio. Somalia has only a handful of non-Muslim residents, and The Guardian suggests that the edict may be directed at Somalis returning to the country from Europe and North America having picked up Western traditions.
Tajikistan has also continued its crackdown on festivities seen as alien to Tajik culture, including Halloween. This year, the bans have been extended to include Christmas trees, fireworks and any form of gift-giving in schools.
Malaysians are most fortunate for practicing religious mutual respect. So, we better keep that rather than being nosy on others.
Also read:
PM Najib's Christmas message
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