MAINJ issued a fatwa prohibiting Muslims from attending non-Islamic religious rituals
JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor State Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) today issued a fatwa regarding the ban on Muslims attending non-Muslim celebrations in the state.
Chairman of the Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee, Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, said that he was upholding the order of the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, who approved the fatwa to come into effect today.
He said, the scholars from the four sects namely Syafie, Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, have agreed that the law of Muslims attending non-Muslim religious festival rituals is haram and prohibited.
“These non-Islamic religious ritual ceremonies include houses of worship and other places where the ritual is usually performed.
“However, according to a number of legal scholars, celebrating an invitation or invitation to a ceremony in conjunction with a non-Islamic festival without a religious ritual ceremony is necessary and permissible,” he told reporters at the Iskandar Islamic Center here today.
Mohd Fared said that with this fatwa, it is hoped that it will give understanding to the Muslims of this state, some of whom have become accustomed to being polite to other races in an effort to maintain harmony between races.
At the same time, he said a guideline and criteria were also issued to determine non-Muslim festivals that Muslims can attend.
“Among them, the ceremony is not accompanied by ceremonies that are against the Islamic faith and there are acts such as including religious symbols or singing religious songs,” he said.
In addition, he said the ceremony was also not accompanied by actions that could touch the sensitivity of the Muslim community such as speeches that insult and make fun of the religious beliefs of the Muslim community.
Thus, Mohd Fared through MAINJ will meet with religious leaders and managers of non-Muslim houses of worship to provide information and explanations about the guidelines.
“This ban is not meant to disrupt harmony between races, but simply to give advice and guidance so that community leaders are careful in expressing togetherness and not violating certain boundaries,” said Mohd Fared.
According to him, individuals who violate the guidelines can be prosecuted in accordance with Section 9 of the Johor State Syariah Criminal Offenses Enactment 1997.
