PM Supports Kongsi Raya Celebrations.
What started as a simple email by a nincompoop who mistook his role as a mere company syariah department head, for that of a Grand Mufti, snowballed into a national controversy, earning him in the process, the rebuke of political and religious department leaders.
However PAS leaders were in total agreement that the essence of the email advice was valid and correct. They in fact took issue with the ministers and the Director-General of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) for criticising the corporate Ayatollah while they lamented in unison, Kenyataan Menteri Kabinet buka ruang Islam terus dicaci.
Today however the Prime Minister had his say on the whole issue. That report here.
The "kongsi raya" activity of sharing the joy of festivities as practised by Malaysians does not tarnish the sanctity of Islam, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Wednesday. It also does not at all involve any conflict of the faith of Muslims, he added.
"Kongsi raya" did not mean the blending of all customs and religious aspects of Islam and Hinduism, for example, he said at the presentation of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali goodies to staff of the Prime Minister's Office, here. "It is not as though non-Muslims go to the mosque or Muslims go to the temple," he said.
Hindus will celebrate Deepavali on Saturday while Muslims will celebrate Aidilfitri next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Abdullah said the people of either faith acted according to what was required of them by their respective religions. As the two festivals fall close to one another, Malaysians celebrate them in togetherness, he said.
"In terms of social relations, it is not a problem for us to visit our Hindu friends at their homes during Deepavali. Even when the festivals did not fall close to each other, we used to do that. Or they come to visit us on Aidilfitri, there is no problem at all," he said.
It has nothing to do with tarnishing the respective religions, he said and explained that "kongsi raya" strengthened social relations and unity among the multiracial population. "I hope there will be no confusion regarding the matter, with talk that Muslims might have gone contrary to their faith," he said.
At the function, Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia Chairman Nori Abdullah gave away the Aidilfitri and Deepavali goodies.
Abdullah said he wanted to continue with the practice of presenting the festival goodies, which was initiated by his late wife Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, to help bring some joy to the celebrations of the staff of the Prime Minister's Office.
However PAS leaders were in total agreement that the essence of the email advice was valid and correct. They in fact took issue with the ministers and the Director-General of the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) for criticising the corporate Ayatollah while they lamented in unison, Kenyataan Menteri Kabinet buka ruang Islam terus dicaci.
Today however the Prime Minister had his say on the whole issue. That report here.
The "kongsi raya" activity of sharing the joy of festivities as practised by Malaysians does not tarnish the sanctity of Islam, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Wednesday. It also does not at all involve any conflict of the faith of Muslims, he added.
"Kongsi raya" did not mean the blending of all customs and religious aspects of Islam and Hinduism, for example, he said at the presentation of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali goodies to staff of the Prime Minister's Office, here. "It is not as though non-Muslims go to the mosque or Muslims go to the temple," he said.
Hindus will celebrate Deepavali on Saturday while Muslims will celebrate Aidilfitri next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Abdullah said the people of either faith acted according to what was required of them by their respective religions. As the two festivals fall close to one another, Malaysians celebrate them in togetherness, he said.
"In terms of social relations, it is not a problem for us to visit our Hindu friends at their homes during Deepavali. Even when the festivals did not fall close to each other, we used to do that. Or they come to visit us on Aidilfitri, there is no problem at all," he said.
It has nothing to do with tarnishing the respective religions, he said and explained that "kongsi raya" strengthened social relations and unity among the multiracial population. "I hope there will be no confusion regarding the matter, with talk that Muslims might have gone contrary to their faith," he said.
At the function, Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia Chairman Nori Abdullah gave away the Aidilfitri and Deepavali goodies.
Abdullah said he wanted to continue with the practice of presenting the festival goodies, which was initiated by his late wife Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, to help bring some joy to the celebrations of the staff of the Prime Minister's Office.
posted by The Malaysian. at 10/18/2006 05:28:00 PM
3 Comments:
To all Muslim readers of The Malaysian Blog, I take this opportunity to wish you Happy Eid Al-Fitr. I am sure The Malaysian feels the same. I truly apologise for the shameless plugging, Malaysian, but I thought I might as well save you some time.
It is all the more joyous as Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, recently received the Nobel Peace Prize. We applaud him, not just for his Honest Vision and Boundless Dedication, and more importantly, his Practical Wisdom. Practical Wisdom, you say? That's right, he is wise because he didn't let the politicians control and run Grameen Bank. If they had, it is for certain Grameen Bank would have failed to achieve its objectives of alleviating poverty and remedying disparity in income within rural areas.
I also would like to pre-empt Tun Mamak Kangkang and Mamak Zam Mydin, by wishing The Malaysian's Hindu readers Happy Deepavali and may this year's Diwali be an auspicious one. Likewise, I believe The Malaysian feels the same, and believe me, our greetings are sincere, unlike the other two political opportunists mentioned beforehand.
I also take this opportunity to reflect on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a man who has dedicated himself to True Respect for all races and religions, a tireless advocate of Non-Violence, and Selfless Devotion to the protection of minorities. Selfless Devotion, you say? He, along with a handful of others, risked their very lives and limbs in order to protect the Muslim minority during the bloody aftermath of the Partition of India, and ultimately to restore them to their former lives and homes, without qualification.
And to Hindus of Malaysian citizenship, I hope that you will reflect upon a saying by one of the most famous of all American Patriots, Benjamin Franklin:-
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."
To The Malaysian, I would like to draw your attention to today's The Star newspaper (18 October 2006). Please look it up at Page 45 of the World Section, an op-ed article written by Laila El-Haddad, originally for Guardian News Service. There is an interesting paragraph, beginning with "As under the Arafat regime...", and the following two paragraphs. Does the scenario described sound familiar to you?
Dear Robin Goodfellow thank you very much for the very kind greetings. As for The Star report I'll surely check it up. Thanks again. Cheers.
However PAS leaders were in total agreement that the essence of the email advice was valid and correct.
But of course....
PAS has been displaying its colors for years now. What is Keadilan, a so-called multiracial party, still doing allying with this Talibanized monstrosity?
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