KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — One does not need to be a Muslim to fast or to break fast, the Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) said today after a Muslim group told DAP’s Lim Guan Eng to convert to Islam if he wanted to break fast with Muslims.
Cenbet committee member Derek Low Eng Tack said asking the Penang chief minister to avoid “buka puasa” (breaking of fast) events smacked of “racial superiority”.
“Non-Muslims joining Muslims to break fast is an act of reaching out and of simply being Malaysian,” Low said in a statement.
“Joining other communities in their racial and religious celebrations has been a tradition in our plural society for centuries. This practice has enabled us to know each other better,” added the member of the pro-moderation group.
News portal Free Malaysia Today reported Friday a group of protesters who told Lim not to join “buka puasa” events during Ramadan after accusing him and his state executive council of interfering with the process on issuing ‘fatwas’ (religious edicts).
Low said at a time of a widening gap between people of different backgrounds, Malaysians should be encouraged to reach out to another instead of staying even more inward-looking.
“We should also promote our plural cultures, not any single culture,” he said.
