“FASTING is a personal matter and is nobody else’s business.”
That line of thinking may be anathema to many Malaysian Muslims who have been conditioned to behave in a certain manner during the holy month of Ramadan.
This even extends to non-Muslims who go to great lengths to emphatise and show affinity towards their Muslim colleagues and friends who are fasting.
This includes not stuffing their faces in front of those who are observing the fast out of courtesy or even observing the fast themselves.
This was, however, not the view of one Muslim lady who proclaimed that she does NOT care what others thinks when she eats in public when she is not observing fasting.
In a Threads post (which has since been taken down), Nafeesah Umar Barnett (@nafbarnett) openly stated that she eats in public during the holy month and does not feel the need to justify herself to anyone, stressing that the Almighty has already exempted her from fasting for a week.
“I eat in public during Ramadan and I don’t care if some man (or woman) is b*tt hurt about it. God exempted me from fasting for a whole week (presumably in view of menstrual period), hence who are you to question me,” she declared in the post (which was shared in a story by The Sun).
Needless to say, this proclamation that flies the face of local customs caused plenty of ripples online with some applauding her stance while others poured opprobrium on her need to publicly advertise that she was experiencing her menstrual cycle.
Personal choice
However, this unconventional lady found support and backing from popular influencer Nazri Azhar who is known for his moderate Islamic views.
In an unrelated Facebook post, Nazri went to great lengths to explain and justify his stance that puasa is a personal matter and should involve nobody else, least all of the authorities.
“Fasting is a personal matter between a person and God. It has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. If a person fasts, then he is the one who benefits, not anyone else,” he outlined.
“That’s why I don’t agree with any interference by the authorities in the affairs of people’s worship. Quality worship is worship that a person does voluntarily without any pressure from others.”
The post has generated 1.1K likes, 838 comments and 95 shares at time of writing, eliciting plenty of passionate arguments from both sides of the fence.
One commenter compared the situation with neighbouring Indonesia where he has been living for a number of years, noting the lack of compulsion in various matters despite the archipelago being the most populous Muslim nation on earth.
This extends to dress codes and fasting during Ramadan with no official interference.
However, there was plenty of pushback for such a viewpoint. One commenter could not hide his contempt for the influencer stating that such views are the consequence of discussing Islamic affairs with non-believers.
Another holier-than-thou observer opined that such liberal attitudes were mistaken for individual liberties and harmony.
Citing Indonesia as the perfect example where liberal attitudes meant Islamic values were absent from daily life, this commenter was in no doubt which side of the fence he was on.
It was argued that practicing Islam – unlike other religions – was NOT a matter of personal choice as it was dictated by Syariah laws just like road use is subject to traffic law.
Based on the various comments, it can be safely surmised Malaysians are NOT accepting of such a stance.
Whether a person observes Ramadan is indeed a personal choice BUT public displays of non-conformity for local customs, conventions and courtesies are very much frowned upon.
Selamat berpuasa. – Focus Malaysia
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