Don't sow enmity towards Islam - Perlis mufti to Muslims

Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has warned against sowing enmity towards Islam following criticism of Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng over a Chinese couplet hung up in his office.

"We may not agree with someone over certain things, however, we must be fair," Asri said in a Facebook post today.

"Our religion forbids us from making hate the cause for us to act unfairly and without understanding.

"Read Surah al-Maidah… Don't let us sharpen enmity to the point that not just he (who we disagree with), but all non-Muslims will misunderstand Islam."

Asri warned that by doing so, non-Muslims would assume that Islam teaches its adherents to hate without reason.

"Criticise what should be criticised, praise what should be praised," his post read.

Asri did not explicitly mention which incident he was referring to, but his Facebook post included a link to a KiniTV video in which Lim defended the presence of the couplet in his office.

Netizens had taken aim at Lim after he shared photos of Microsoft Corp representatives visiting him on Tuesday, in which a Chinese couplet can be seen adorning his office wall.

The couplet reads "May everyone in the family get along well and a hundred businesses boom," and "May the fate of the nation prosper and welcome a golden era."

On Thursday, Lim explained that the couplet was hung up in February for Chinese New Year, and questioned those who were turning it into an issue.

He also asked why his critics did not share photos of verses from Surah Al-Quds framed in his office, which he retained from his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak.

Syahredzan Johan, the political secretary of DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, also dismissed criticism that the couplet was an insult to the national language.

Instead, he said the minister was merely reflecting his Chinese heritage in decorating his office.

“Since when has Chinese culture stopped being a part of the Malaysian landscape?” he asked.