Activist lauds PAS leader’s ‘sensible’ take in buzz over whisky

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PETALING JAYA: Social activist Chandra Muzaffar has welcomed a PAS attempt to quell the controversy over the brand name of an award-winning Malaysian-made whisky.

Commenting on PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Man’s defence of the manufacturer’s right to use the name “Timah”, Chandra said it was a “sensible, balanced and appropriate” statement.

Speaking to FMT, he criticised those who had “exaggerated” the issue and said the PAS leader had done a good job of telling Muslims to shun alcohol without depriving the right of non-Muslims to drink it.

In the statement he issued on Tuesday, Tuan Ibrahim said “timah” was a metal and not a Muslim name “or even a person’s name”.

Whatever the brand name, he added, alcohol was still forbidden in Islam but the rights of non-Muslims to drink it had to be respected.

The distillers have issued an explanation, saying the name referred to tin and was not a shortened version of the Arabic name Fatimah. Fatimah was also the name of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter.

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