Religion 19/05/15 Malaysian Ramadan fasting trap - Municipal officers in southern Johor state reportedly posed as food stall operators to catch Muslims failing

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Malaysian Ramadan fasting trap

Municipal officers in southern Johor state reportedly posed as food stall operators to catch Muslims failing to fast

Segamat Municipal Council personnel conducting checks on a food stall in on May 15. (Picture from Majlis Perbandaran Segamat Facebook page)

ucanews.com reporter, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
May 24, 2019

A reported undercover sting operation by local government officers in Malaysia to catch Muslims declining to fast during the on-going holy month of Ramadan has caused a stir in the multicultural nation. The controversy erupted after the national New Straits Times daily English language newspaper reported May 23 that Segamat Municipal Council officers in the southern state of Johor bordering Singapore were helping Islamic authorities trap Muslims who broke the fast between dawn and sunset. Hours later, the top council official, Mohd Masni Wakiman, denied telling the newspaper that his officers were helping to enforce Sharia. He said it was beyond the council's jurisdiction to track down those who were not fasting. "We can’t be deploying our enforcement officers to disguise themselves as cooks and waiters," he said. Furthermore, he said, there were no specific Municipal Council food stall trading licence restrictions on opening hours. Local media outlets had quickly picked up the report quoting Mohd Masni as earlier saying that his officers were working with the state's department responsible for Islamic affairs to track down Muslims eating during the day at stalls under their jurisdiction. The officers, the council head was initially reported to have said, were disguised as food stall operators, cooks and waiters and they would secretly photograph the person enjoying the meal and immediately alert the local Islamic Religious Council for them to take appropriate action. "We have specially selected enforcement officers who are dark-skinned for the undercover job. They sound convincing when they speak the Indonesian and Pakistani lingo, so the customers will believe they are really hired to cook, serve meals and take orders," he said reported the New Straits Times. "The Municipal Council does not want to be seen as not making an effort to handle the issue of Muslims eating in the open during Ramadan." It was not only disrespectful for Islam, but also reflected badly on the council as the act was committed at stalls under its supervision, he was reported as saying before his later denials. The council has 32 enforcement officers on the beat covering 185 food stalls at 15 locations around the municipality. Baharin Jalal, the chief Islamic affairs official in the municipality who was approached by the media, said he appreciated the efforts of other agencies to safeguard the image of Islam. "I also advise food traders not to allow Muslims to eat at their stalls during the fasting period," he said. "The action of this small number of Muslims is shameful and gives the wrong impression of Islam in the eyes of those from other faiths."

Muslims are allowed to abstain from fasting if they have a sound excuse for being unable to do so, such as when travelling or or if they are sick, and can replace the lost fasting days at a later date. Malaysia has a dual-track legal system comprised of both civil courts and Islamic Sharia courts. Sharia is imposed only on Muslims and deals with moral and family matters. Each of Malaysia's 13 states has its own Islamic laws. Johor's Islamic laws state that those who sell food to fasting Muslims or Muslims who do not fast for the prescribed period can, for their first offence, be fined up to 1,000 Malaysian ringgit (US$238) and/or imprisoned for up to six months. Islamic laws in Kelantan and Terengganu, Malaysia's most Islamic states, impose a jail term of up to one year for breaking the Ramadan fast.