Islamic cleric says Malaysia won’t ban devilish Man U jerseys for Muslims but warns of emblem
By APFriday, July 23, 2010
Muslim cleric: Malaysia won’t ban Man U jerseys
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Islamic authorities in Malaysia say soccer uniforms with devils, crosses or skulls promote the “wrong value,” but that doesn’t mean Manchester United jerseys should be banned.
Recent reports said Muslims have been urged not to wear the Premier League club’s shirts because its emblem features a red devil holding a trident. The team is sometimes referred to as the Red Devils. It was also reported that Muslims in Malaysia were forbidden to wear similar jerseys of other international teams.
“We just advise people not to wear this,” Harussani Zakaria, a cleric from northern Perak state, told The Associated Press on Friday. “Satan is for us our enemy … It’s the wrong value. Satan is always bad.”
Harussani said other clerics shared his opinion, but they didn’t plan to pass an edict banning the attire. He said many soccer fans were unaware of the image on the emblem.
Manchester United is among the most widely supported soccer clubs in Malaysia. The country has long been characterized as a moderate Muslim country, though controversial religious edicts, such as a ban on yoga for Muslims, made headlines recently. About 60 percent of the country’s 28 million people are Muslim.
