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| Southeast Asia |
| Beer ban tests Islamic party |
| 2009-08-06 |
| [Straits Times] MALAYSIA'S main Islamic party defended its plan to curb the sale of alcohol in a state capital, saying on Wednesday that minorities, including its Chinese allies, should respect Muslim sensitivities by not interfering. Stores nationwide are already banned from selling alcohol to Muslims, forbidden to drink by law, but the new plan would ban certain outlets from selling booze to anyone - including ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians, who are mostly Christian, Buddhist and Hindu. The country's biggest opposition group, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, wants to ban liquor sales at convenience stores and gasoline stations in ethnic Malay Muslim-majority neighbourhoods of Shah Alam, the capital of central Selangor state. But PAS is facing resistance to the plan from its partners in the ethnic Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party. Both are part of a racially diverse three-party alliance that won control of Selangor's legislature last year and rules four of Malaysia's 13 states. The disagreement, while not causing any extensive rift in the opposition alliance, underscores ideological differences that have strained ties, particularly between conservative Muslims and religious minorities. Ethnic Chinese and Indians, who make up about one-third of Malaysia's population, have long been suspicious of PAS, partly because the party introduced policies such as banning gambling and nightclubs in a northern state that it has ruled since 1990. Khalid Samad, the PAS member of Parliament for Shah Alam, said the move to curb alcohol sales was a response to requests by Muslim residents who are uneasy about liquor being sold near mosques, even though Muslims are forbidden by Islamic Shariah laws to buy or consume alcohol. The plan gained more attention after another PAS state official, Hassan Ali, said Monday that it should also be enforced in other Muslim-majority parts of Selangor. Khalid said party leaders have not discussed whether that would be their formal stance. Small retail outlets and gasoline stations typically only sell beer with low alcohol content, while other liquor is available at larger stores. Those would not be affected by the Islamic party's plan, which is unlikely to be implemented for at least several more weeks. However, Shah Alam city officers drew criticism when they recently confiscated 70 beer cans from a convenience store. Ethnic Chinese officials said such seizures should only be conducted if the outlet is caught selling alcohol to Muslims. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Quick! A fatwa that differs fermenting and aging [like cheese] from distilling before the natives get restless. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-08-06 10:52 |
| #3 This calls for an emergancy shipment of beer to our drinking friends in Malaysia! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-08-06 10:32 |
| #2 If I can't buy beer I sure as hell ain't taking no vacations to Malaysia. I got enough trouble with "dry" counties here in Texas! |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2009-08-06 02:37 |
| #1 They know their people are backsliders. Too funny. |
| Posted by: gromky 2009-08-06 00:42 |