PETALING JAYA: PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has sent out festive greetings to all Malaysians in conjunction with Christmas.
"I wish a Merry Christmas to all Malaysians who celebrate it, may we all be in peace and harmony in our beloved country.
"A large number of my classmates at the Universiti Malaya law faculty are non-Muslims, we are still friendly to this day as a family, and frequently contact each other and meet for reunions.
"Differences of opinion are a blessing in Islam," Takiyuddin said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 25).
He is not the only PAS member to embrace the festivities, with Sabah PAS Dewan Ulama chief Mustaqim Aling saying that “Islam does not teach its believers to break off ties with families, even if their families do not share the same religion".
“In Sabah, I hope we can all celebrate the festival together, and for those who have converted from Christianity to Islam, you should still visit, respect and spend time with your parents and family,” he said in a statement here on Monday (Dec 24).
He said if everyone was aware of this, and respects one another, there would not be chaos in society.
Mustaqim also urged everyone to visit one another during festive seasons or celebrations to strengthen ties as a community.
Takiyuddin and Mustaqim’s stance is in contrast to PAS Youth chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi, who had warned Muslims not to celebrate Christmas as it is against the teachings of Islam.
Sinar Harian had on Monday reported Muhammad Khalil as reminding Muslims not to be part of the celebrations because it was an acknowledgement of the Christian religion.
“Christmas has an element of syirik (idolatry) which is against Islam’s teaching. They claim that God had a child, which is against our beliefs as Muslims.
“They celebrate Christmas with such elements and claim that Prophet Isa (Jesus) is the son of God,” he reportedly said during a lecture in Kuala Terrengganu on Sunday (Dec 23) night.
