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Timah: Much ado about non-issue

OVER the past week, I have been thinking about why certain people in the Muslim community have become overly sensitive and increasingly intolerant of the things non-Muslims do.

Why are we so paranoid about issues perceived as an attack on Islam and Muslims?

We are not narrow-minded and we should not take offence at everything thrown at us.

There is a public outcry about the whisky's name, which many Malay Muslims have taken offence at.

Some believe the name is a shortened version of the Arabic name Fatimah, while some believe the image of a bearded man wearing headgear on the label is that of a Muslim man with a

Some even suggested that this was a conspiracy and ignominy to discredit Islam and Muslims.

For a start, we cannot allow ourselves to believe that Timah could and should be associated with the auspicious name of Fatimah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

I doubt the Prophet would call his daughter Timah. Instead, he'd call his daughter Fatimah or Fatimah Azzahra (In Arabic, it means the glowing and radiant one).

Only Malay parents would call their daughters Timah.

There seems to be much ado over a non-issue, I'd say.

Sadly, the Timah whisky brand name has been politicised.

Politicians from both sides of the divide have stoked the issue to the hilt.

Out of obscurity, Timah whisky has suddenly and senselessly been blown out of proportion.

It has somewhat become a "virulent virus" to some quarters in the Malay Muslim community.

It was tin that brought an eccentric English explorer by the name of Captain Speedy to Perak.

He is the face plastered on the whisky bottle's label. He looks like he's wearing a skull cap, which, in addition to the beard, made many believe he represented a Muslim man.

Captain Speedy, or Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy, was once associated with tin mining during the Ghee Hin-Hai San war in Larut, Perak, in the 19th century.

In 1873, after resigning as police superintendent in Penang, he went to Perak to command a body of Indian troops to restore order in the war-torn zone (between Ghee Hin and Hai San clans) of Larut, a mining district, to allay fears of mentri (chief minister) Ngah Ibrahim.

In 1874, Speedy was appointed assistant British resident of Larut.

In fact, he named Malaysia's oldest town, "Thaipeng", meaning "heavenly peace", a place where he remained until 1877.

What's the big fuss over this whisky's brand name, then?

If politicians aren't sure how to resolve this, they can always find the solution by fighting it out through proper channels.

They can dispute it through trade descriptions and trademarks.

Since the Melaka election is around the corner, one can predict that some politicians would play with fire by raising sensitive and emotional issues like this to gain sympathy and garner votes.

I'm sure this issue will be bandied about in every district in Melaka by politicians during campaigning.

At the same time, I'm seeing a plot by certain quarters in the opposition in questioning Pas' credibility on its stand on the sale of liquor and spirits.

One even joked that Pas has failed to shut down distilleries when it became part of the government.

Instead of politicking, these politicians should have embraced the attitude of advising the public, especially Muslims, on the hazards of drinking alcohol.

Imam Jaafar As-Sadiq, an eighth-century Muslim scholar, propagated that alcoholism is the mother of all sins as liquor invites the drunkard to indulge in all sorts of indecencies.

I feel strongly that Muslim politicians should focus in disseminating this sort of message.

Whatever the brand name, alcohol is forbidden in Islam, but the rights of non-Muslims to drink it should be respected.

We are a multiracial and multicultural society as we take pride in moderation.

We cannot allow ourselves to drown in a cesspool of suspicion.


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