Religious affairs minister: “Oktoberfest should not be allowed in Malaysia, period!”
HOT on the heels of the Bon Odori festival controversy is news that a beer festival that is open to the public should not be allowed in Malaysia.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad said that all parties should respect the rules and laws of the country that is based on Islam as the religion of the federation.
In a Parliamentary written reply to Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Idris said that while non-Muslims are not forbidden from consuming alcohol the Government is of the view that turning alcohol consumption into a festival that is opened to the public should not be allowed.
This is because alcohol causes social problems since it is seen as being capable of affecting harmony, tranquility, and public security, he added.
The DAP chairperson had asked the prime minister to state the Government’s stance regarding the Bon Odori festival and Oktoberfest, which are cultural events that are, respectively, of Japanese and German origin.
Lim noted that these festivals had been held in Malaysia for decades without troubling anyone or damaging the morals of its attendees.
Even before becoming part of the Government, PAS had opposed Oktoberfest even if it was held behind closed doors.
As for Bon Odori, PAS maintained that the Government is not opposed to it being held and only advised Muslims to not get involved in the cultural festival.
Idris said the Islamic Development Department’s studies and preliminary observations found that the festival contains elements similar to other religions and rituals that are not in line with Islam.
Despite Idris’s advice, it must be noted that some 35,000 visitors – including Muslim – had thronged the Japanese Bon Odori festival in Shah Alam on July 16, 2022.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had also intervened on this matter, instructing the Selangor Islamic religious department (JAIS) to allow the festival to proceed and also instructing JAIS and the Shah Alam City Council to attend Bon Odori to “see for themselves” what takes place at the festival. – July 29, 2022
"Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad said that all parties should respect the rules and laws of the country that is based on Islam as the religion of the federation."
ReplyDeleteComment: looks like this will be standard justification by PAS to oppose anything that does not respect islam.
In time, pork will be banned because it is haram to muslims.
What a dangerous path malaysia will be stepping on if we listen and allow PAS' objection to anything it finds anathema to islam.