I am not sure if Halloween was ever 'celebrated' in Malaysia. Muslims do not celebrate it but others (I believe) do.
However, it has never drawn my interest, and I think Muslims too do not pay any attention to it. To me, its haram.
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The National Fatwa Council today declared that Halloween is a Christian celebration of the dead and "against Islamic teachings".
According to a fatwa issued on its website, Halloween is celebrated using a humorous theme mixed with horror to entertain and resist the spirit of death that influences humans
“We notice that such events are held to test moral limits or religion, and they are usually done by groups which are not religion-based — they are usually organized by non-Muslims,” Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, the president of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), was quoted by Malay Mail online.
“What they are doing is promoting something that is anti-religion. Maybe it is done by atheists who want to shake one’s faith,” Zaik said.
Halloween is an annual Western celebration based on Celtic pagan doctrines and traditionally applied to the evening of October 31st.
Celtics were a group occupying the area known now as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France about 2,000 years ago.
Halloween has clear connections with the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles (2nd century BC).
On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together and that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken. They believed that spirits from other worlds, such as the souls of the dead were able to visit earth during this time and roam about.
When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day.
The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland.
NOTE:I think its okay for the non-Muslims to celebrate it. We should not impose 'haram' on them. What the authorities should do is advise Muslims to stay away from it. We have some ethnics in Sabah and Sarawak (even in the Peninsular) who still celebrate their ancestor's 'religions' but were never imposed any ruling. What Muslims should do is don't participate. Simple, right?
However, it has never drawn my interest, and I think Muslims too do not pay any attention to it. To me, its haram.
According to a fatwa issued on its website, Halloween is celebrated using a humorous theme mixed with horror to entertain and resist the spirit of death that influences humans
"It cannot be celebrated by Muslims," it says. Instead, the council advises Muslims to remember the dead by reciting prayers and reading the Koran. There are concerns among some Muslim groups in the country that Halloween is too Western and "could wrongly influence local Muslim youths,"the Malay Mail website reports. In Negeri Sembilan, western Malaysia, an international primary school has been told it must apply to the local education department to get approval for its private Halloween party, after a protest by Muslim groups, according to Free Malaysia Today.Muslim scholars have warned Malaysians against observing Halloween celebrations this year, claiming that these events are planned by non-Muslims to shake the faith of Muslims and turn them godless.
Earlier this month the National Fatwa Council ruled that touching dogs is un-Islamic, in response to an event called "I want to touch a dog", in Bandar Utama. The event gave Muslims a chance to stroke dogs, an act traditionally seen as unclean. People who took part in the event followed religious cleansing rituals after being in contact with the dogs, Channel News Asia website reports.
“We notice that such events are held to test moral limits or religion, and they are usually done by groups which are not religion-based — they are usually organized by non-Muslims,” Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, the president of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), was quoted by Malay Mail online.
“What they are doing is promoting something that is anti-religion. Maybe it is done by atheists who want to shake one’s faith,” Zaik said.
Halloween is an annual Western celebration based on Celtic pagan doctrines and traditionally applied to the evening of October 31st.
Celtics were a group occupying the area known now as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France about 2,000 years ago.
Halloween has clear connections with the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles (2nd century BC).
On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together and that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken. They believed that spirits from other worlds, such as the souls of the dead were able to visit earth during this time and roam about.
When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day.
The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland.
NOTE:I think its okay for the non-Muslims to celebrate it. We should not impose 'haram' on them. What the authorities should do is advise Muslims to stay away from it. We have some ethnics in Sabah and Sarawak (even in the Peninsular) who still celebrate their ancestor's 'religions' but were never imposed any ruling. What Muslims should do is don't participate. Simple, right?