KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu’s Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal defended Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Idris Ahmad’s warning to the public of the “danger” of celebrating events like Bon Odori and Oktoberfest.
The deputy national unity minister told the Dewan Rakyat today that Idris’ views should be respected, in the spirit of accepting different views.
“In fact, Bon Odori and Oktoberfest are not even indigenous to us and are not part of our society’s culture originally.
“And even if there are differences, the minister has expressed his views, and I feel we should respect that.
“I would also like to point out that we (government) did not use the law to obstruct anyone's freedom to practice their culture.
“In this regard, I feel there is nothing wrong with what the religious minister said, both as a Muslim and as the individual responsible for religious authority,” Wan Fayhsal said.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) on the National Unity Ministry’s stand over previous comments made by Idris.
Specifically, the DAP lawmaker said the PAS vice-president had interfered with the cultural life of non-Muslims in the country when he commented on Bon Odori and Oktoberfest.
This is after Idris, in a written parliamentary reply to Lim last week, said beer festivals like Oktoberfest should not be openly celebrated as it could lead to social problems.
He said this is because alcohol can affect the harmony, order, and safety of the community, and reminded all parties to respect the rules and regulations of Malaysia, which has Islam as the religion of the federation.
In the same reply, Idris also said the government had not stopped the Japanese Bon Odori festival from taking place on July 16, but had merely urged Muslims against attending events he deemed contrary to Islamic teachings.
On June 6, Idris advised Muslims not to participate in the Bon Odori festival held at the Shah Alam Sports Complex, as the festival “contains elements of other religions”.
In a rebuke, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah suggested Idris attend the festival himself to see the difference between culture and religion, and told the minister to stop using Jakim to issue confusing and inaccurate statements. – The Vibes, August 3, 2022
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