Compiled by ALLISON LAI
ACTORS Pekin Ibrahim and Mona Allen were at the centre of heated online discussion after clips from a recent gathering began circulating on social media, prompting speculation that the couple had participated in a Christmas-themed event.
In the footage, Pekin and Mona are seen wearing red and white hats commonly associated with Santa Claus and taking part in an apparent gift exchange, a practice often linked to Christmas festivities, Kosmo! reported.
Some commenters questioned the appropriateness of Muslim public figures attending a celebration resembling a religious holiday, with a few calling it insensitive to their faith and cultural norms.
Others defended the pair, suggesting the gathering may have been a casual get-together rather than an endorsement of any religious observance.
Neither Pekin nor Mona has issued an official statement regarding the incident.
They also did not share the circulating footage or related images on their social media accounts, posting only unrelated content showing gifts they received from friends.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
