Malaysia Bans Halloween for Muslims
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's top Islamic body has banned Halloween celebrations for Muslims in the country. The National Fatwa Council has called the annual celebration observed on the eve of the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day un-Islamic.
It is the third event the Muslim group has condemned this year. It had earlier labelled the Oktoberfest beer carnival and the "Touch a Dog" campaign as insults to Islam.
However, in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the ban has not dampened the spirit of Halloween, which is celebrated in many countries. It is a time when children dress up in fancy costumes and go trick-or-treating - a practice of going from house to house to collect candy. Many adults too cannot resist joining in the spooky fun - opting for the popular guises of monsters, zombies, vampires and popular movie characters.
But in Malaysia, Islamic groups have frowned upon the festival. The Halloween, they say, with its Christianised origins and possible roots in paganism, are against the teachings of Islam. They have urged Muslims to protect their beliefs and avoid participating in the festivities.
"Superstition is not something that we encourage because it has no basis. And of course when you believe in superstitions, you are superstitious about ghosts ... it contradicts our faith in Islam," said Dr Siti Mariah, an MP from the opposition Islamic party PAS.
The Education Ministry shares these concerns, saying schools should refrain from celebrating Halloween on the eve of All Hallows' Day. "We should succumb and we should follow the fatwa (Islamic ruling)" given by the National Fatwa Council as Islam is the "national religion", said Education Minister Idris Jusoh.
However, the Cabinet Minister-in-charge of National Unity disagreed. Joseph Kurup, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said: "This has been going on for years and it has been celebrated in a cordial and peaceful manner, which we think will make people interact, will make people integrate better and create unity. My personal opinion is that they should be allowed to do so."
The ban is not legally binding as it is not gazetted into law, so non-Muslims are not obliged to adhere to it. But the fatwa has raised concerns of the Islamisation of Malaysia - a country its tourism agency describes as a "melting-pot of races and religions".
Observers say the Halloween ban goes against the principle of moderation or wasatiyah, which calls for racial tolerance and acceptance and, advocated by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
- CNA/al
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