It’s the season for compassion
But from the behaviour of some politicians, perhaps not.
WHAT’S up with PAS? Has it developed a Jekyll and Hyde personality? I ask because the party’s actions of late have been rather contradictory.
On Nov 11 last year, secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan issued a heartwarming statement on behalf of the party saying “Deepavali is a manifestation of our multireligious and multicultural society, with its own attractions and significance in forming the big culture of Malaysia”.
“The celebration ... symbolises the victory of light over darkness, truth over falsehood, justice over evil,” he said, adding that Muslims are also enjoined by their faith to ensure light triumphs over darkness and to defeat falsehood.
He followed this with wishing Malaysian Christians a Merry Christmas on Dec 24, saying that the celebration of various religious or cultural events in the country must be defended, as well as nurtured with “the awareness that the existing diversity is a treasure for Malaysian society, which adds value to the quality of our togetherness.”
I was gobsmacked by the honeyed words, but pleasantly so as PAS had in the past issued statements saying Muslims should avoid making such greetings because it had elements of “syirik” (idolatry).
Takyuddin’s greetings seemed to show the nice (or Jekyll) side of PAS.
I figured the party might be trying to soften or change its previously uncompromising stand on such matters to make it more appealing to non-muslim voters.
Still, a leopard can’t really change its spots. The party protested against the Federal Court’s Feb 9 decision that 16 provisions of offences under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (1) 2019 were null and void, on the grounds that the State Legislature did not have the power to enact laws on said offences, because there were already federal laws. The reaction was to be expected.
But when Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek issued a directive for school canteens to remain open during Ramadan to cater to non-muslim students, I was taken aback by the party’s criticism against it.
PAS Ulama Council chief Datuk Ahmad Yahaya saw the directive as “excessive” and that Fadhlina’s hasty action showed no respect for the fasting month.
He felt non-muslim students could just bring their own food and eat at a permitted space. Well, what exactly is a “permitted space”? Somewhere that is hidden, like a store room or the changing area in the toilets, which happened back in 2013?
That was why Fadhlina said she had no wish to see non-fasting students eating their meals in a storeroom or in inappropriate areas when there are canteens available for them.
The 2013 incident made headlines locally and internationally. It became a huge issue because every right-thinking, caring person could see the callousness of disregarding the needs of these children.
Eleven years later, it looks like many school canteens prefer to close, hence the need for the Education Minister to issue the directive. When PAS slammed Fadhlina’s decision, it clearly showed its “Hyde side”, with not an iota of concern for non-muslim children’s well-being. So much for Takiyuddin’s nurturing “with the awareness that the existing diversity is a treasure for Malaysian society which adds value to the quality of our togetherness.”
And Ahmad Yahaya dared to claim the closure of school canteens during Ramadan is a practice and a societal norm to respect fasting Muslims.
When did it become a practice and a norm? I remember clearly that my primary, secondary school and university canteens remained open back in the 1970s and 1980s. My Muslim school mates took it in their stride, sometimes even keeping company with us non-fasting kids during the break, and never had any issue with it.
Since I was in an all-girls school, if a Muslim classmate did eat, it was because she was having her menses. We understood that and knew she would have to make up for it later on.
One might argue that many government schools, especially primary ones, now have a lot fewer non-muslim children so it would make economic sense for the canteens to close.
But that argument is absolutely unacceptable. Even if there was one non-fasting child, the school has the responsibility to look after his or her welfare during school hours. That is showing kindness and compassion.
From what I know, which has been confirmed by many Muslims, one of the fundamentals of fasting is for the richer, more fortunate ones to appreciate their blessings by experiencing the hunger of those less fortunate.
That’s why I have always felt our fellow Muslims living in our multiracial country are truly made of sterner stuff and are admirable for being able to stick to their fast even when they are in situations with lots of food being openly sold and in the company of people eating. They are truly tested, unlike some Muslimmajority nations which order all restaurants to close to force compliance.
As I said in my previous column, no thanks to political brainwashing, there is a hardening among Malays towards other races and the slightest thing can be viewed as a deliberate insult or disrespect of the community or religion.
It is deeply worrying when Umno, a party that had a long history of working well with its non-malay political counterparts, also acts like PAS.
Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s attack on the listing of bak kut teh as a national heritage dish as insensitive to Muslims because the dish typically contains pork, is an example of playing the “defender of the faith” card.
And now we have the latest upset over the word Allah printed on made-in-china socks sold in a Chinese-owned supermarket.
Why would any business in this country want to deliberately provoke a controversy by selling an item that probably doesn’t bring in big profits? It was undeniably a bad oversight and indeed the company should review its inventory process, but I am sure there was no niat jahat (malicious intention).
The supermarket quickly withdrew the item and apologised profusely. That is still not enough for Umno who wants to call for a boycott.
Is that really necessary? Won’t that jeopardise jobs, including that of Muslims working for the company?
Where is the forgiveness and compassion that are so much part of the spirit of Ramadan?
It is such “excessive” reactions that could deter foreign investors from setting up shop in Malaysia. One unintended misstep can land the company in hot water, face investigation and penalties, and a possible boycott.
For the same reason, many foreign artists most likely choose to bypass us, not wishing to run afoul of our sensitivities and restrictions.
Meanwhile, our neighbour, Indonesia, the country with the biggest Muslim population, wants to team up with Singapore on attracting big-ticket concerts to its shores. This is after seeing the windfall the city state got from Swiftonomics, as concertgoers bring in five times more spending than the typical tourists.
The Economist reports that the country’s largest and most influential Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is now pushing for a more inclusive, tolerant Islam that reflects the spirit of Pancasila, the country’s state ideology that encourages moderation.
NU has called on Muslims to accept the reality of the nation state, abandon the notion of a caliphate, reject the concept of a kafir, or infidel, and accept non-muslims as fellow citizens.
“We cannot practise Islam as it was practised by our forefathers and mothers in the past without any significant changes in our understanding,” The Economist quotes senior NU official Ulil Abshar Abdalla as saying. “You cannot impose syariah as a positive law that is binding on all people.”
That should be Malaysia talking and promoting because moderation and tolerance were once part and parcel of our multiracial fabric. Let’s fight to retain it.