Semalam barangkali seluruh masjid di Selangor menyentuh tentang fatwa kebangsaan yang mengharamkan sambutan VD di kalangan muslim. Beberapa hari yang lalu Ketua Pemuda sebuah parti menyatakan akan mengadakan gerak gempur anti VD. Tetapi Karl G MP Shah Alam DC yang didampingi YB Siti Pariah Mahmud sehari selepasnya mengutuk kenyataan itu dan memberi jaminan tiada gerak gempur. Menang lagi Ron dan PAP! Nggeh aje Karl G dan Siti Pariah ni.
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Sun
No Valentine's Day crackdown: Khalid Samad
Tim Leonard and Alyaa Alhadjri
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SHAH ALAM (Feb 10, 2011): Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad of PAS has clarified that there will be no crackdown on Muslims celebrating Valentine’s Day in Pakatan Rakyat states as claimed by PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hasan recently.
"No, there is not going to be any crackdown as far as we (PAS) are concerned," Khalid said.
"His (Nasrudin) view is personal and does not represent the (state) government," said Khalid, who was accompanied by Kota Raja MP Dr Mariah Mahmud during a press conference at his service centre today.
Khalid, who also sits in PAS’s national political bureau, said the party was only concerned on youths who commit immoral activities on Valentine’s Day.
"Enforcement of Islamic laws will be carried out independently by the religious department. Checks will be carried out as usual, just like how it was done on any celebration in the past to prevent Muslim youths and couples from engaging in immoral activities.
"In fact, we never even discussed any crackdown on Valentine’s Day in our recent political bureau meeting," Khalid said, adding that Nasruddin was not authorised to speak on behalf of the party with regards to the issue.
Nasrudin caused a stir when he said that Pakatan Rakyat states would carry out crackdowns on Muslims celebrating Valentine’s Day.
He reportedly claimed that the Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan state governments had directed the local authorities to work closely with the police, Rela and religious department to curb immoral activities by Muslims on Valentine’s Day.
His statement has been criticised by politicians from both sides of the political divide as well as NGOs and religious scholars.
Among others, DAP Socialist Youth chief Loke Siew Fook expressed concern over the approach taken by PAS Youth to act as "moral police" to check on couples on Valentine’s Day as it is beyond their powers to do so.
In a statement today, Loke said: "The said campaign planned by PAS Youth was never discussed with both Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) and DAPSY."
He added that it was misleading for Nasrudin to give the impression that the plan was endorsed by Pakatan Rakyat to be carried out in the Pakatan states.
Loke’s counterpart from MCA Youth, Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong went on to call for PR state governments to make a stand on Nasrudin’s statement, citing the move as proof that PR is implementing Islamic policies in its states, despite repeated reassurances that it would not do so.
When contacted by theSun, former Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin said: "As long as we don’t have any specific definition for the word 'celebration' (of Valentine’s Day), then we should not punish. Otherwise, we will be unfairly punishing the people."
He urged the authorities to remember that there will also be others who may just happen to be out on the day, at places where the celebrations are taking place.
"In Islam, actions cannot be taken based on a prejudice and people should always be deemed innocent until proven guilty," he said.
On the compulsory counselling sessions for Muslims caught celebrating Valentine’s Day, Asri said it may be an unnecessary burden.
Instead, he suggested that the authorities take on a more educational approach by distributing pamphlets or through engaging them in conversation.
Meanwhile, Council of Churches Malaysia secretary-general Reverend Hermen Shastri pointed out that the celebration of Valentine’s Day is a purely "secular" observation which has no ties to Christianity.
"Valentine’s Day is a purely secular observance and not celebrated in Malaysian churches, or any other part of the world.
"Just because the West celebrates Valentine’s Day, it does not mean that it is celebrated by Christians," he said.
He questioned the accuracy of the National Fatwa Council ruling, which described practices associated with Valentine’s Day celebrations as often having elements of Christianity or mixed with immoral acts.
"The Council of Churches feels that the National Fatwa Council has unfairly portrayed Valentine’s Day as a Christian observance," Hermen said.
