Be sincere, stop questioning Muslim rights, Isma tells DAP

(The Rakyat Post) – DAP should accept Malaysia as an Islamic state and stop questioning Malay rights if it wanted to shed its anti-Islam image, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) urged.

The religious non-governmental organisation’s comparative religion unit chief Shaharuzzaman Bistamam said if the opposition party hated and envied Muslims, they should not talk about Muslim solidarity.

“If they wanted to show their sincerity, they should stop challenging the rights of the Muslims.

“They don’t need to fast to show solidarity. Instead, they can stop secularising Malaysia or go against the sovereignty of Islam and Malays,” he was reported to have said in Isma’s portal.

Shaharuzzaman said this in response to the call made by DAP lawmaker Ong Kian Ming for non-Muslims to fast for a day in support of Muslims in Xinjiang, China who were allegedly barred from fasting during Ramadan.

China had reportedly banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region from taking part in Ramadan fasting, government websites said, prompting condemnation from an exile group yesterday.

Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Huang Huikang, had however denied such a ban existed.

The Serdang Member of Parliament, who is fasting himself, said the one-day fast was to also support freedom of religion for all minorities around the world.

The religious scholar went on to question Ong’s idea, asking how it would benefit the Muslims there or what impact it would have on the Chinese government.