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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysian Muslims urged to spurn Manchester 'devil' |
| 2010-07-23 |
| Muslim scholars in Malaysia have identified the latest menace to their faith: football shirts. Senior clerics have declared the official kit of some of the world's most celebrated soccer teams, including Barcelona and the national teams of Brazil and Portugal, have the power to erode religious faith and must not be worn by Muslims. Worst of all is the Manchester United strip, with its trident-wielding red devil of the club's crest. "This is very dangerous," said Nooh Gadot, the mufti of the state of Johor. "As a Muslim, we should not worship the symbols of other religions or the devils. It will erode our belief in Islam." While a Red Devil jersey gift must be refused, "it is even more sinful when people realise this is wrong and still buy these jerseys to wear. These Muslims should repent, repent immediately." Southeast Asia makes little impact in international football competitions, but Malaysians, Thais and Indonesians are passionate fans, with a particular fondness for the English Premier League. The most popular club of all is Manchester United, which has official supporters' clubs in several countries, including Malaysia, and an official merchandise shop in Kuala Lumpur. Last summer, thousands of fans mobbed the team on its arrival there. Several other strips, including the kits of Brazil, Portugal, Serbia, Barcelona and Norway, have also been declared un-Islamic because they bear the image of the cross. "Devils are our enemies. Why would you put their picture on you and wear it? You are only promoting the devil," said Harussani Zakaria, the mufti of the state of Perak. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook were flooded with comments from fans in the Southeast Asian nation. "Maybe the religious leaders are just fans of Liverpool?" tweeted one supporter. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 You're religion is SCREWED if soccer shirts pose that big of a threat. PSST! It's rotten to the core and most likely screwed anyway. |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-07-23 15:51 |