YOURSAY | Respect minorities, even the 10 percent have rights

YOURSAY | 'Using the reason of Malay majority to deny others of their basic rights is dangerous.'

Supermarket closes non-halal section after protest by Jeram rep

David Dass: Is this how it is going to be? The non-Malays are a minority in the country. And their numbers will continue to diminish over time.

Will their rights be less than the Malays because of their lesser numbers? Will the constitutional guarantee of equality mean nothing?

Is this an attempt to corral non-Muslims into certain areas where they will be the majority? Is that the only way for them to enjoy their rights as citizens?

This has been a pattern over the years. The presence of non-Muslim places of worship close to Muslims has been perceived as a problem for many years. Look at the experience of the church in Glenmarie in Selangor.

What has happened to our multiracial Malaysia? What has happened to the joy and strength in our diversity?

Of course, these sentiments are not expressed by all Malays. But these are administrators. We have a Constitution. It is the supreme law of the country.

Surely state governments and petty government officials are required to respect the laws of the country.

MS: So, this Muslim is doing what he does best... not just to burnish his Islamic credentials and get accepted by Malays, but more so because he seriously believes most Muslims will drink if they have the slightest chance to do so, especially when in a 90 percent Malay area and out of the sight of non-Muslims.

And Jaya Grocer is simply helping to establish that belief as a fact.

While this is clearly a direct consequence of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-only government, it also provides an insight into what is happening - the systematic subversion of the Federal Constitution (which guarantees the rights of all Malaysians) and the seeding of a theocracy.

BlueFish0451: Using the reason of a Malay majority to deny others of their basic rights in Puncak Alam is dangerous.

If this is not stopped, the same reason will be more aggressively used nationwide - not that it has not been - and minorities will soon have no place in this country.

IndigoKite6964: When politicians bring up issues wrapped in religious morals, it has been on issues that impinge on the rights of non-Muslims and not issues that are inflicting the morals of Muslims.

We hear now a call to ban alcohol since DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) made a contentious bid to stop alcohol sales in certain business outlets in Kuala Lumpur.

Then we hear attacks on other religions, for example, the Bible is distorted. We hear of even attacks on the hygiene of non-Muslims by calling for Muslim-only launderettes. Even God's creatures are not exempt, and dogs are the focus of poisoning and torture.

I have not heard of calls for stricter punishment of statutory rape and incest, or even calling it ‘haram’. I have not heard a whimper from these people about corruption being ‘haram’.

There is no call to ban the sale of cigarettes as smoking impacts one’s health and even causes one’s insurance premium to be elevated.

These actions are more to divide Muslims and non-Muslims and in turn, Malays and non-Malays. It is not about Islam. It is about his (Jeram assemblyperson Mohd Shaid Rosli’s) political survival.

MW: Since when is an Adun (State Assembly representative) authorised to lay down the law?

He can protest, he can petition the authority who issued the licence to revoke it, but his actions, and what he wrote on Facebook about what is and is not allowed in which area, is totally extreme and will only encourage anarchy.

Frankly as a non-Muslim, after reading what he wrote, especially the ominous "this is Malay territory" and his supporters' responses, I don't feel safe to ever step foot into Puncak Alam from now on, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with alcohol consumption.

Kita Orangbiasa: It is common for supermarkets to adhere to all set regulations before opening an outlet. Jaya Grocer, being a reputable premium grocer outlet would have followed all regulations set by the authorities.

The non-halal section is very clearly marked with signs that it is only for non-Muslims. It is placed in a separate area of the supermarket away from the common shopping zone. As such, Muslims are not permitted to enter into this non-halal area.

It’s difficult to comprehend why Jaya Grocer bowed down to a memorandum just because this area has 90 percent Muslim population when it did not break any law.

What about the needs of the 10 percent of the non-Muslim population? Is this Adun saying that non-Muslims do not matter to him?

If this incident is allowed to go on, then all Muslim-majority areas will request their Aduns to do the same thing as what this Jeram Adun did.

Majority means so long it is above 51 percent. The other 49 percent will have to inconveniently travel to another area to buy their non-halal items. This is grossly unfair to the non-Muslim residents in such areas.

We always hear from politicians that non-Muslim rights will be protected, but it’s evident of late that it seems not the case.

FlabberPro: Has this Jeram rep done his research? Did he go from door-to-door or house-to-house in his constituency to come up with the 90 percent figure?

Does it mean he will not look after the feelings of the 10 percent non-Muslims? Perhaps this 10 percent minority should not pay tax then.

This is Malaysia and this is the year 2020. It really exhausts me to talk about foolish people like him.

DalvinK: I am pretty sure corruption is non-halal for all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion.

What has this assemblyperson done about it?

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