KUALA LUMPUR – For more than a decade now, many Malaysian public schools have shut their canteens during the Ramadan month to avoid offending Muslim students who are fasting. This forces non-Muslim children to eat in storerooms, changing rooms and even the toilet.
That is why the directive by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek that canteens in all schools with non-Muslim students remain open during Ramadan is significant. She is the first Malaysian Cabinet minister in recent memory who has firmly stood up to say that non-Muslims must be allowed to eat in canteens that will remain open. She did not budge when Islamist voices, including leaders of the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia , asked her to back down.
In previous years, only a smattering of non-Muslim politicians would complain each year about the canteen closures, and they would be countered by conservatives who demanded respect for Islam’s position as Malaysia’s official religion. “Those are the hot topics being discussed, as if they concern our entire existence and dignity. I hope this won’t be the case any more, because we can do better.”Some asked: If the issue is about respecting Muslim rights, what about the rights of the non-Muslims who simply want to eat in canteens like in other months?
“Once again, PAS and Perikatan Nasional have proven that their political stance is not in line with a multiracial and multi-religious nation like Malaysia. We should not forget about past incidents where non-Muslim students had to eat in school bathrooms and other inappropriate places during the fasting month,” he posted on X on March 13.