Oktoberfest row prompts concern in NUCC member, but others say too soon for alarm
(The Malay Mail) – Muslim demands for the Oktoberfest beer festival to be cancelled despite being aimed only at non-Muslims is indicative of the “worrying” state of religious intolerance here, said a National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) member.
Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam expressed concern over the growing religious bigotry, particularly over the inaction towards those seeking to “impose their views and cause disharmony” on others, which he said would elicit suspicion among the public.
“We are approaching the worrying stage,” he told Malay Mail Online this week when asked to comment on the development.
Ramon pointed out that no one was being made to attend Oktoberfest events if they did not agree with it, and said that all religions teach their believers not to force others to follow their views and values unless it is an illegal act
“There is no law being broken, so why the fuss?
“It reflects on immaturity, parochial, narrow-mindedness and very warped or sick minds,” the economist said.
But the NUCC member believed there is still hope to address the issue, saying he was confident that the silent-but-mature majority would prevail.
“The only trouble with the moderates is they are not speaking up, speaking out and practising what they learnt from holy books, from their religions,” he said.
Several Muslim groups including Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) have taken aim at Oktoberfest beer festival, claiming the event will tarnish Malaysia’s image as an “Islamic country” and “bring ruin” to the nation.
The Selangor chapter of Islamist party PAS also reportedly called for the cancellation of the month-long beer festival.
Several PAS lawmakers also demanded that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) act against the companies involved for advertising the beer festival without permits and for seeking to hold it in an open venue.
Although the event is promoted to non-Muslims, some Muslim groups have urged their supporters to rally against the event and venues that serve alcohol as part of the festival.
Differing with Ramon, fellow NUCC member Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said that religious intolerance in the country is not yet at the “alarming stage”.
While acknowledging that it was inconsistent with Islam for Muslims to foist their own restrictions on followers of other faiths, he also claimed that the objection towards the beer festival by the groups was not necessarily exclusive to Islam his religion.
Instead, the PAS lawmaker suggested that the resistance towards the festival ― held here annually for at least the past five years without issue ― could be due to its foreign origins.
He also insisted that alcohol consumption was a vice that could harm productivity, health, and family bonds.
“No one can ever dispute the fact that alcohol leads to destruction,” Mujahid said.
He added that non-Muslims should not drink alcohol publicly and openly, in deference to Muslim sensitivities.
NUCC deputy chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye took a more restrained view of the objections towards Oktoberfest, insisting there was no empirical data to show a rise in such incidents.
