Politics of religion by PAS, Umno and DAP

Writen by:Yin Ee Kiong

CPI with Thanks

Recently The Star tendered a public apology for its ‘mistake’ of publishing a photograph of a pork dish in an advertorial pullout on Ramadan delights. The photo and accompanying feature article were deemed offensive to Muslims during the fasting month.

It is different in Indonesia where the country’s press freedom has in many ways contributed to a liberal or tolerant outlook on religion. There they are willing to publish a broad spectrum of views and even recently discussed the suggestion that comparative religion be taught as a subject in school – a proposal supported by the academics.

The Indonesian media dares to be openly critical of the authorities on religious matters. A recent example is their condemnation of the light sentence passed on the vigilantes who murdered some Ahmadis, considered a deviant Muslim sect.

Here we have quite a different attitude to religion. Our current prime minister is on record as saying that Malaysia was never a secular state whereas a past prime minister unilaterally declared us an Islamic state in 2001.

It becomes pertinent therefore to ask the question: What is the level of religious tolerance in the country today?

Slouching to conservatism

Well, we know that Muslims in Malaysia no longer visit their non-Muslim friends to have drinks or food in their house. The Muslims and non-Muslims don’t even sit together in the coffee shop unless it is a café with a halal certificate.

Then we have the cases of ‘bodysnatching’ where the Islamic authorities insist on burying according to Islamic rites those whom they suspect to be Muslims. In cases where the religious status of the deceased is in dispute, the religious departments nonetheless ride roughshod over the objections from the non-Muslim family members.

There is also the difficulty in obtaining permission to build houses of worship unless they are mosques or suraus. The Catholics had wanted to build a church in Shah Alam but the local authorities put a lot of obstacles in their path. It was only after a delay of 26 years that the church was finally given the green light.

In Sabah, there was the controversy over Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea statue to have been built in Kudat. Construction on the structure was half completed when a stop work order was suddenly issued, leading to the lawsuit against Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, filed by his predecessor Chong Kah Kiat.

In many towns, the planning makes no allowance for burial grounds for non Muslims.

Restricted even in personal sphere

Liberal Muslims in Malaysia are pressured to conform through peer pressure and by the religious enforcement bodies.

I know of at least two families whose daughters have been pressed by their school principals to wear the tudung. With the support of their parents, the girls resisted but it was not easy.

Churches had been burned during the height of the ‘Allah’ crisis, and in a separate episode an Orang Asli church demolished. Hindu temples have been destroyed too and Hindus insulted by Muslims in Shah Alam who paraded a severed and bloodied cow head as a deliberate gesture to offend.

There are always religious conservatives or extremists who try to impose their beliefs on others, even though this country is secular according to our constitution.

But let’s look at our neighbour Indonesia which has the world’s biggest Muslim population and make a comparison.

Other religions taught in school

The Indonesian government is one that jealously guards secularism in the country.
While there are extremists in Indonesia, the authorities there do their best to contain or eradicate extremism.

Lately the government has begun a campaign against what they call religious ‘radicalism’. Schools and universities are warned to watch out for these ‘radical’ elements.

Indonesia has also started to once again remind her citizens of the country’s guiding principles – the Pancasila (a cousin to our own Rukunegara). Schoolchildren have the Pancasila precepts drilled into them.

Religion is not a criterion for office in Indonesia. The previous governor of Sumatera Utara is a Christian even though the majority of the population are Muslim. Similarly, the heads of department, of the army and the police can be of any religion.

Indonesian pupils are not made to observe the doa in school. All religions are taught as a matter of government policy where each student must take Religion as a subject according to his/her faith. In comparison, Malaysia does not allow other religions to be taught in our schools.

Recruitment to Malaysian government service is not just racially biased but also religiously biased. The same goes for immigration where Muslim applicants stand a better chance than non-Muslims to acquire citizenship or permanent residence.

Why we’re in trouble today

Our judiciary has been side-stepping any issue that touches on Islam and preferring to pass the buck to the Syariah Court. This deprives non-Muslims of a fair hearing.

The National Registration Department has refused to accept name changes indicating one’s converted religious status if the applicant is a Muslim who has abandoned his or her faith such as Lina Joy.

In short, the Malaysian government fails to hold itself above religion as a secular government – which we constitutionally are. Instead the government, more often than not, prefers to exploit religion. It is thoroughly biased in favour of Islam and against other religions despite the fact that we have a large percentage of non-Muslims.

This blatant pro-Muslim stance is to the detriment of the adherents of other faiths.

With Indonesia the government does not take sides despite her population being overwhelmingly Muslim. There minority rights are protected. Our Islamic authorities, on the other hand, often intimidate non Muslims and liberal Muslims with raids by the religious department.

Maybe it is the inherent insecurity of local Malays that has led to the present climate where non Muslims feel under siege. Or maybe it is the politics of religion that is practised by PAS and Umno, and increasingly by the DAP.

I would say Indonesia is light years ahead of us in the matter of religious tolerance. Our neighbour wants at least to project to the world an image of being democratic and progressive. Malaysia doesn’t even want to pretend to be democratic or progressive. Instead the Umno-led ruling coalition does not shy away from using religion and race to further its own ends.

We are a most subservient people who have never been brave enough to challenge any religious edict. Hence, it only follows that we’re allowing an Islamic state to be foisted on us without protest.