2023-12-24 15:18:22
In a departure from its previous radical positions, the Islamist party PAS has wished all Christians in Malaysia a Merry Christmas. PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said PAS hoped the celebrations could be celebrated in a “safe and harmonious environment”, Malaysian media reported on Sunday.
Hassan then used his Christmas greeting to express his party’s commitment to Malaysia as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society: diversity is not only a “feature of our society,” but also of Islamic teachings, “the bonds that bind our great human family, including all races, cultures and religions.” , legally and honorably included”.
In the 2022 general election, the PAS (Islamic Party of Malaysia) became the strongest opposition party. Malaysia is a religiously and ethnically diverse country. According to the constitution, the majority of Malays follow Islam.
2,000 churches went up in flames
In recent decades, PAS has pursued a strictly Islamic-nationalist course of incitement against Christians and the Malaysian Chinese ethnic minority. At the height of the campaign against Christians, more than 2,000 churches were burned.
In recent decades, the question of whether Muslims can be allowed to wish “Merry Christmas” has repeatedly become a point of contention between Muslims and non-Muslims. In 2018, Khalil Hadi, at the time PAS Secretary General and son of then PAS Chairman Abdul Hadi Awang, banned Muslims from wishing Christians “Merry Christmas.”
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 201 Morten Freidel Published/Updated: Recommendations: 43 Michaela Wiegel, Paris Published/Updated: Recommendations: 11
Influential Salafist preachers in Malaysia such as Zimbabwe-born Ismail Menk, American convert Yusuf Estes and Indian Zakir Naik are strongly opposed to Muslims giving Christmas greetings to Christians.
According to official statistics, around 64 percent of Malaysia’s 33 million inhabitants are Muslims, 18.7 percent are Buddhists and nine percent are Christians. Six percent belong to Hinduism, 1.3 percent to Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religious communities. 2.7 percent practice “other religions”.
#Islamists #Christians #Merry #Christmas