New government guidelines requiring non-Muslims to seek official approval before inviting Muslims to weddings, funerals and other events at places of worship were pilloried by critics on Thursday as unworkable and divisive.
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The guidelines, issued late on Wednesday by the religious affairs ministry, will require non-Muslims to obtain permission or “seek advice from Islamic religious authorities” if their invitation to an event at a temple, church or gurdwara is extended to Muslims.
Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the move aimed to foster unity and prevent misunderstandings from an Islamic perspective.
“It will ensure that the organisation and participation of Muslims in these activities will not spark controversy or touch on the sensitivities of different religious groups,” he said.
Events attended by Muslims must not “contain non-Islamic religious symbols”, he added, a restriction that critics said would effectively ban them from temples, churches and other houses of worship.
Critics said the guidelines threatened the country’s multiethnic balance and were part of a wider corralling of religious freedoms.
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