Everytime when it comes to Christmas or Valentine Day, there will arise the question of whether it is permissible to Muslims; whether if they are allowed to celebrate the non-Islamic festivals or if they could wish the people who are celebrating them a happy day. Then even when greetings are allowed, there arises the issue of whether the greetings could be displayed at halal-certified outlets or on products bearing the halal logo. Perhaps, it is different for Chinese New Year. In the recent viral Chinese New Year song, Dong Dong Qiang, the lyrics are mostly in Malay and the song is performed entirely by Malay singers donning the auspicious red colour favoured by the Chinese; and a lady singer even appears in a Chinese cheongsam. The singers are all Muslims of course; since they are all Malays and one of the criterias to be a Malay, according to the country's constituition, is the person must profess the religion of Islam. That the singers, being Muslims and singing a non-Islamic song that celebrates a non-Islamic festival doesn't create an issue here.
Enjoy some Chinese New Year songs performed by Malay singers:
Comments