PAS man mistakes deity for Chinese emperor
Selangor assemblyman sparks online furore, says he thought the costume he wore had nothing to do with religion
PETALING JAYA: A Selangor assemblyman has run into fire for dressing up as a Chinese emperor to mark Chinese New Year, only to be told the costume resembled that of a Taoist deity.
Mohd Khairuddin Othman of PAS is assemblyman for Paya Jaras, near Kepong.
He put on what he thought was a Chinese emperor’s costume, but came under criticism online when questions were asked why he appeared to be wearing the costume of Cao Guojiu, one of the Eight Immortals in Taoism.
Khairuddin admitted his error yesterday. He told the PAS organ Harakahdaily, that his constituents in Wangsa Permai, Kepong, had said that the costume was that of a Chinese Emperor.
“I believed that Chinese New Year is a cultural celebration. That’s why I thought the costume had nothing to do with religion,” he was quoted as saying.
Khairuddin, who is Selangor PAS secretary, said he would accept any decision against him by the party’s Syura Council.
However, the deputy leader of the Syura Council, Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, while describing the matter as “disappointing”, said that the council did not feel that Khairuddin meant to go against the teachings of Islam or intended to belittle the religion.
“What happened was just a lack of understanding that Islam doesn’t teach its followers to resemble others of different faiths,” he said, according to Star Online.
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PAS members should be mindful of matters involving religion in order to avoid any misunderstanding, he said.