Emperor’s clothes sees Selangor rep in hot water with PAS ulama

Selangor PAS assemblyman Mohd Khairuddin Othman has apologised for wearing a Chinese emperor costume for Chinese New Year, saying he was unaware it resembled one of the eight immortals of the Tao pantheon, Cao Guojio. He said he was prepared to face any action from the PAS central committee and the Shura Council for his mistake, party organ Harakahdaily reported. He said local residents offered him the costume while he was attending a CNY celebration with the Tionghua community in Wangsa Permai, Kepong, and that he had accepted out of respect for their culture and event. "I was confident that the Chinese New Year celebrations was a cultural celebration, that was why I thought the costume was cultural and had nothing to do with their religion," Khairuddin was quoted as saying. The Paya Jaras assemblyman added that the Wangsa Permai residents' association had also told him the costume was that of a Chinese emperor. "I leave it up to the central leadership to decide what to do with me. If I had erred in terms of religion, I seek Allah's forgiveness and apologise to all members and leaders of PAS, especially those in Selangor, for my mistake," said the Selangor PAS secretary. Meanwhile, the PAS Ulama Council said it was convinced the matter was caused by misunderstanding and that Khairuddin had no intention of going against Islam or mocking their religion. It urged all members of the party to be more careful in their conduct when it came to other religions so as not to create misunderstanding. "May this mistake not repeat and we hope that Allah forgives us all," said Ulama Council deputy chief Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh. – February 9, 2016.