In pandering to the tears of a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) hostess who complained to him of having to serve alcohol and not being allowed to wear the headscarf, Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has shown himself to be a poor teacher.
He should have seen at once that the hostess was complaining because her own faith was weak. Sympathising with her and championing her only keeps her faith weak.
Isn’t it the duty of religious teachers to strengthen the faith of their followers?
To strengthen the faith of this hostess and others like her, he should have firmly told her that there are so many Muslim air hostesses on MAS and other airlines who have no qualms about having to serve liquor or not wear the headscarf as their faith is not damaged by doing so, and they are still Muslim.
He should have explained the difference between consuming alcohol and serving it to others if the job requires that, and that it’s one’s choice what job one is going to do.
Surely she was not ignorant of the fact that the job of an air hostess requires one to serve alcohol to those who want a drink.
Strangely, when she took up the job, she didn’t find anything wrong with the job specifications of an air hostess. Her faith must have been strong at that time. So what weakened her faith? Wrong indoctrination?
Faith, he should have told her, is in one’s heart and if it is strong, nothing can harm or shake it.
What about Muslim schoolchildren who went to Christian missionary schools and were immersed in Christianity and yet none of whom converted to Christianity?
None of my hundreds of Muslim school mates in a missionary school ever complained about seeing the cross every day, hearing Christian prayers daily, or sometimes even visiting the nearby church.
How come Muslim faith of Malaysians has so weakened over the years?
Teachers like Asri should be strengthening the faith of the Muslims, not further weakening it.
In the Middle East, we see Muslims celebrating Christmas with the Christians and yet they remain Muslims. – January 13, 2016.
* Ravinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insider.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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