The staff at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) recently celebrated Christmas at the office and turned the lobby into a “scenic wonder”, as described by its minister, Nga Kor Ming, who shared the celebration video on his Facebook.
In the video, Nga also highlighted that the KPKT’s lobby was the most well-decorated as compared to other government offices and said that he was happy to see everyone celebrating diversity.
The youth wing of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), however, held a different view.
“Stop it; you should’ve respected us”
In his statement this morning (December 27), PAS Youth’s head of information, Khairul Nadzir, expressed his disappointment to see the celebration that involved Muslim employees and slammed KPKT’s decision to include those who shouldn’t have celebrated the festive season.
“This action not only violates the boundaries of Islamic faith but also contradicts the principle of religious sensitivity in our country.”
“Muslims are prohibited from directly participating in the religious celebrations of other faiths that contradict Islamic beliefs. This has been clearly outlined in Irsyad Al-Fatwa Series No. 818 and the Guidelines for Muslims Participating in the Religious Celebrations of Non-Muslims issued by JAKIM,” Khairul explained.
Khairul also dubbed the minister’s action action a negligence in understanding the fundamental principles of religious harmony that should be respected.
“It also sends the wrong message to the general public, especially the Muslim community, regarding the limits of participation in the religious celebrations of other faiths.”
In his statement, Khairul also said that the PAS Youth urged the KPKT Minister to immediately stop any form of program or activity involving Muslims in the religious celebrations of other faiths. Khairul also hoped for stricter actions from the government, saying,
“Strengthen the guidelines on this matter and ensure that all ministers and government agencies comply with them to maintain harmony and the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation.”
At the time of writing, KPKT has yet to respond to Khairul about the matter.
