I,Malaysian!

Taken from The Star, 11/5/2007 (Fri)

There is no need for Muslims to be over concerned with the cutlery used in non-Muslim homes, says Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin. He said as long as the food served was halal, there shouldn't be any worries consuming it, adding that some Muslims in Malaysia were known to have reservations using cups, plates and other utensils in non-Muslim homes.

These Muslims fear that the utensils used in non-Muslim homes could be stained with non-halal substances. But after some researches, it is founded that these are just "unseen worries" as no such substances were found in the researches.

Let's think of it this way. How are Malaysians going to unite together to form a friendly pot of mixed culture and races if Muslims are afraid of visiting non-muslim homes?

Dr Asri expressed his disappointment with the prevalence of the misconception, which he described as “rubbish”.

“I am disappointed with such interpretations of Islam. The religion urges us to think; it heightens our intelligence. But these opinions only make a person less than intelligent .”

He also said Islam viewed acts that promoted good-neighbourliness and the strengthening of social bonds with non-Muslims as a positive thing.

“For Muslims, there is religious merit in doing good to both other Muslims and non-Muslims. This is a humanitarian issue and concerns the values of a civilised religion,” he said.

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