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Wednesday October 18, 2006

Malaysian PM backs mixed festivities by Muslims, Hindus

KUALA LUMPUR: Multiracial Malaysia's prime minister on Wednesday defended joint religious celebrations by the country's Muslims and Hindus.

"A joint celebration does not mean that Muslims and Hindus have to mix their religions.
"Everyone has their own beliefs and faith,'' Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a speech.

"It does not in any way tarnish one's religion.''

The comments were apparently aimed at ending a controversy over whether Muslims should send holiday greetings to Hindus for their religious celebrations including the festival of lights, Diwali or Deepawali, which will be marked this Saturday.

Diwali will be followed next week by Eid-al-Fitr - known in Malaysia as "Hari Raya'' - the main Muslim holiday at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The two lunar calendar holidays often occur back to back and are celebrated together in a weeklong holiday, nicknamed "Deeparaya.''

Abdullah was speaking at a ceremony handing out gifts to civil servants to mark both festivals.
But controversy erupted this year after the religious chief of a government-linked Islamic finance group, Takaful Malaysia, advised its Muslim employees not to wish Hindus "Happy Diwali.''

In an e-mail to employees, Mohamed Fauzi Mustaffa described Hindu festivals as being against Islamic tenets because they involve idol worship, considered blasphemous in Islam.

Takaful Malaysia, which is majority-owned by Malaysia's Bank Islam, later apologised after Hindu groups, many Muslims and government ministers expressed outrage at the comments, describing them as a narrow interpretation of Islam.

"The issue at hand is about ... creating a sense of unity among all the races in the country and one identity that we are all Malaysians,'' said Abdullah, a respected Islamic scholar.

"I do not want any confusion in all this ... I want to set the record straight that this does not in any way go against the faith of Muslims in the country,'' Abdullah said.

The government has carefully nurtured racial harmony between the three races since deadly race riots in 1969, and the country is often hailed as a model of coexistence for other multicultural nations. - AP

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