This is not about, dare I say it, pigs

'The Writest Thing' by Mohsin Abdullah

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WE all know that Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee did with the "bak kut teh" invite and all. So I'm not going to drag everybody through all that nonsense  again. And we all know the anger they triggered among Muslims and non-Muslims. So I'm not going to repeat the angry words and the calls for them to be "lynched".

 

Instead let's take a look at Mohamad Hanipa Madin, the lawyer-cum-PAS MP for Sepang. Rather what he said recently about the couple via a statement carried by The Malaysian Insider. 

 

To Hanipa, the couple should be given a chance to "redeem"  for their mistakes. "Any act of insulting religion, any faith for that matter, is despicable," said Hanipa. But in this case both have apologised and should be given a chance and not repeat what they had done.

 

Islam, said Hanipa, is a about compassion and also "agama rahmah" or religion of mercy. "So I feel there's nothing wrong for Muslims to accept their apology."

 

He is suggesting a "soft and delicate" approach be used so that negative thoughts the couple have towards the religion can be removed. He cited a case of a non-Muslim poet in the days of Prophet Muhamad.  

 

The poet, said Hanipa, would often insult the prophet until one of the prophet's companion, Umar al Khatab, could not take it anymore that he wanted to pull off the teeth of the poet.

 

"The prophet prevented Umar from doing so. Finally the poet embraced Islam and put his skills to good use in propagating the religion," said Hanipa, quoting Islamic history.

 

"Islam will not be weakened by the insulting act of the couple and Islam will not be strengthened by our loud call for action to be taken against them using draconian laws such as the Sedition Act," Hanipa was quoted as saying.

 

Anyway, reaction to Hanipa statement was missed as expected. And he had his share of angry words. 

 

Hanipa, and to an extent PAS, were told to "stop playing politics as GE is over". Also, he (and PAS of course) stand accused of "encouraging act of insulting islam in the holy month of Ramadan".

 

By sheer coincidence or not, on the same day Hanipa made his statement, the AFP news agency ran a report from Australia. According  to the report, Australian police have began investigations after the remains of two pigs including their heads and entrails were dumped at a Muslim cemetery in a memorial park near Perth. The incident comes during the month of Ramadan.

 

Iqbal Samnakay, chairman of Perth Muslim social and sports association, said the desecration of any burial site, Muslim or not, was offensive.

 

As for using pigs to carry such an act, he had this to say: "As Muslims, we are not meant to eat pigs but that doesn't mean we should not respect them for what they are".

 

And Samnakay went on to say whoever left the carcasses at the cemetery should be forgiven as it is Ramadan, the "month of forgiveness".

 

Selamat berpuasa all.

 

Mohsin Abdullahis a specialist writer atfz.com. He likes rojak. And nasi campur. And durians. Perhaps that’s why he writes about this, that and everything else. Pretty much rojak and nasi campur. As for his writings, well, they can be like durians. Aromatic and delicious to some people, smelly and off-putting to others.