Malaysian Santa

10 Sep 2010 - Happy Eid! Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. A Malaysian television station scrapped a commercial tied to the biggest Muslim holiday after viewers complained it appeared influenced by Christmas and Santa Claus. The ad depicted children travelling in a flying trishaw driven by a white-haired, elderly man to a fantasy land with sparkling lotuses and oil lamps. People believed the man was reminiscent of Santa Claus, and lotuses and oil lamps should not be depicted, saying those images seemed linked to Buddhism and Hinduism. The ethnic Malay population, who comprise nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 28 million people, are mostly Muslim, while monirity groups practise Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. New anchors on the TV3 channel apologised for the commercial during a news broadcast on Sunday night.