In a tweet by BN Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, the “moral police” are purported to have told Muslims not to say “rest in peace” to non-Muslims,as it appears. He tweeted, “Moral police out in Twitter telling Muslims to not say RIP because ‘tiada keamanan bagi siapa yang mati dalam kekafiran’”, which is to say there is no peace for those who die in infidelity (or paganism).
We speculate that he tweeted of Whitney Houston’s unexpected passing, and might have been told off for using the term, therefore highlighting the matter. On heartfelt condolences and peaceful rest, he also had a tweet-versation with someone that goes by the handle @rosetamj:
While the source of the quote is unclear, there has been some talk of this even before it was tweeted by the political leader. The following is a comment posted on an unrelated blog:
Soalan: Apakah hukumnya seorng Muslim mengucapkan atau menaip R.I.P (Rest in peace “berehat dlm aman”) kepada seorng yg bukan Muslim yg telah mati sebagai suatu ucapan takziah. Adakah itu suatu doa?
Jawapan – dilarang kata begitu kerana bercanggah dgn Quran yg memberitahu tiada keamanan bg siapa yg mati dalam kekafiran…
However, we understand that in a country of diverse cultures and religion, tolerance is an essential quality. Besides, the general public (Muslim or not) will probably continue with the term R.I.P. anyway, because the whole idea behind it is to show respect to those who have passed away. Nothing more, nothing less.
Rest in peace, Whitney Houston.
Seriously?? RT @annachew: Moral police having issues with people saying RIP? http://t.co/g3jEXr7S
The Malaysian Moral Police strike again. Is it wrong for Muslims to say “RIP”? http://t.co/TivNYAt1