Hijacking Ramadan – Sonia Devi

Ramadan is described as a time for forgiveness and reconciliation. This is a joyous month for Muslims as it signifies personal triumph and a victory of self-restraint, symbolising purification and renewal. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and performing the haj.

The fast starts just before dawn with a light meal and ends during evening hours when Muslims will join with their family and friends to break the fast and to give thanks for the gift of food and water, which is often taken for granted in a world where millions lack these basic items of survival.

As one has to be cognizant, a 50-year-old teacher, in an assembly on Sunday, had allegedly said that non-Muslims pupils could only drink in the toilet and not in the classroom during the fasting month.

He was also reported as saying that those without water could drink from pipe while adding that they should not drink their own urine instead.

Frankly speaking I never had such problems when I was schooling; it gives me such nostalgic feeling. Teachers are supposed to teach multicultural tolerance instead of particular race supremacy.

My question here is why are the non-Muslims not allowed to drink nor eat in front of the ones who are fasting? Is this against the law? Or merely something we followed that was practiced decades ago?  Why must non-Muslim pupils be asked to drink behind closed doors and even in the toilet? And why are we enforcing separation of the non-Muslims from the Muslims? Why the need to ask the non-Muslim to behave and act differently just because the Muslims are fasting?

So much for self-restraint, abstinence, purification and renewal!

To me, Muslims must have the will to perform their Ramadan’s obligation if fasting had to shutdown canteens and making students drink in the toilet or eat privately then something is truly wrong with the education system.

If one cannot fast on their usual environment than it is not fasting at all. Plus, to the teacher who made the “urine” remark, you are not only an insult to teachers all over Malaysia, but also a humiliation to your students.

To all teachers out there I urge you to show good example to your students because they are the one who are going to represent the country in the future.

Enforcing separation of the non-Muslims from the Muslims is just planting hate among them. Rather than separating them, the education system should inculcate students to respect other religions not only their own.

*Sonia Devi reads The Malaysian Insider.