Subra: Respect sensitivity of all religions (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam has rebuked Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad's statement that non-Muslims should refrain from eating and drinking in front of Muslims and cover up during Ramadan.
He said while it is a normal practice for non-Muslims to respect their Muslim counterparts during the fasting month, Muslims should also consider the sensitivity of other religions.
"For non-Muslims, we respect the Muslim belief and it is standard practice anywhere in the world. So, things like these (not caring for the sensitivity of other religions) should not be happening in our multi-racial country.
"Muslims and non-Muslims, and even leaders, should take into account the sensitivity of everyone, and do what is best responsibly," he told a press conference after attending the Malaysian Indian Football Association's (Mifa) Beyond Football Talent Search Carnival at National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil.
MIC has identified sports as a good platform for the transformation of the community and is therefore urging the government to pay extra attention to it, he added.
Initially, he said, the government should increase the funding for Mifa from the current RM2.6 million to RM10 million annually to conduct football training, workshops and the search for talents.
On the death of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's son-in-law Datuk Syed Alman Zain Syed Alwi following dental treatment at a Bangsar clinic on June 1, he said his ministry has completed its investigation and the result would be released after police concluded their investigation, which is expected by this week.
He added any action against the clinic would only be taken then, if it is found guilty.
Meanwhile, the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) assistant secretary Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah said the mufti's call is unacceptable.
He said Ramadan is supposed to be a month of abstinence for Muslims so that they understand the meaning of patience and hunger.
"As a mark of respect to fasting Muslims, yes we should all be considerate. But we can't force anyone, that is not the way of Islam," he said when contacted by theSun.
Last Saturday, 31 Muslim women in Kelantan were hauled up for not wearing a tudung or for dressing in a tight outfit.
Twenty-four of them were let off with a warning while the rest were sent for counselling, reported Sin Chew Daily.