Thread by @uglyluhan

Now that MPS is covering their ass over the undercover cooks thing, let me tell you what I think of the new culture preventing non-fasting people from eating in public. I talk about this a lot but yesterday it hit home

malaymail.com/news/malaysia/…

My dad's medical condition has made him unable to fast for several years now. He cannot skip meals or he will end up in hospital. Plus he can't take his meds on an empty stomach. This normally isn't an issue since he spends most of his time alone anyway

But yesterday he was out in public among other Muslims. The zabiba on his forehead is fading but his religion is still pretty obvious to strangers. He couldn't even drink water all day, and he wasn't in a good condition last night. All out of the modern culture of shame

This is personal now. The stigma against eating in public is not Islamic. There is no Quranic basis for forcing people to eat in a closed space to "respect the month" or just because you can't look at a person eating without being tempted. There is no basis for it

So I don't care what your favourite muftipu/ostard/PUnai thinks is lebih afdhal, because they're all wrong. No such thing existed during the early days of Islam, or in the golden age, or even during your grandparents' time. It is not in scripture, or history, or syariah

Stop acting like it's cute when non-Muslims get flustered about showing food in front of fasting people. It has nothing to do with respect. It's about fear and shame, that's all there is to it. Children are growing up thinking this is normal, but it's not

Eating in front of a fasting person does not show lack of empathy. If someone wants to go that extra mile of not eating in front of you, be thankful. But when you take that courtesy for granted, it's entitlement

And if you think Ramadan is meant to be about entitlement just because "muh agama persekutuan", then you should seriously evaluate your own iman and beliefs because your religious interpretation has been perverted by your sense of superiority

Narrow-minded neocons frequently say "society should adapt to religion, not make religion adapt to society". But do you realise you're doing the exact opposite when you prevent people from eating in public?

Puasa is supposed to be a test for you. It's not meant to be the month of making the world adjust to your needs. If you can't fast while sitting at a table of people eating (which I've often done) without being tempted or getting angry, then your puasa is meaningless

When a non-Muslim fasts during Ramadan, you say alhamdulillah it's a good show of solidarity. But what's the point if you have no empathy for the person who can't fast? Or if you can't allow someone not to fast?

Eating in public during Ramadan has to be normalised, like it was before. Whether it's non-Muslims, apostates, non-practicing Muslims, women on their period, or people with conditions like my dad. Denying them this right doesn't make you pejuang agama. It makes you a spoiled brat