THE more Penang’s DAP-led government is attacked by racial and religious chauvinists, the more suitable the state is as a base to fight extremist thinking among Muslims, said newly appointed state information officer Wan Ji Wan Hussin.

Penang and the perception of it being dominated by the Chinese can then become a place to fight the damage being done to Islam itself, the popular independent religious speaker from Kelantan said.

Wan Ji said Penang provided room to develop Islam and did not bar people from different “streams” (aliran) to discuss religion.

“Islam is allowed to grow in Penang through discussions (hujahan), instead of by force (kuasa).

“It makes Penang the right place to fight ideas of extremism and terrorism, which have influenced the thoughts of Muslims.

“I hope I can set up an institution that fights extremism, and another for maqasid shariah (purpose of shariah) in Penang,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Islamic agenda for all

DAP is the only Chinese-majority party in the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) bloc, and despite efforts to attract more non-Malay members, it is still accused of being a party of anti-Muslim Chinese chauvinists.

Wan Ji, who was sworn in on Thursday for his new job, said he planned to promote an Islamic agenda that benefited all races, not just Malays, in Penang.

He said he believed religious matters had become problematic because race had been mixed into it, causing Malays to view non-Malays and non-Muslims as “others”.

“I am working on an article on ‘apartheid bershariah’ where people discriminate based on religion. We have this syndrome among Muslims in Malaysia of using shariah as an excuse to create castes.

“In the past, all races could eat and drink together in Chinese coffee shops. They still practise that in Sabah, but this has become a rarity in the peninsula,” he said.

“Our society has become so prejudiced against each other, even among Muslims themselves, due to politics.

“You don’t have to read the Quran, but if you promote peace and justice, you are already doing something Islamic.”

Wan Ji said Penang had a history of hosting progressive Muslims, like the colonial-era writer and nationalist Syed Sheikh Syed Ahmad Al-Hadi.

Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi, as he was better known, moved to Penang from Malacca to further his career in literature and journalism and to develop Islamic education. He founded the Madrasah Al-Mashoor that was known for teaching secular subjects in English and for fostering reformist thinking.

“So if PH’s enemies make Penang the target of its attacks using religion, then Penang is the best place to kick off our efforts to repair the damage,” Wan Ji said.

Islam-friendly image for DAP

As information officer, Wan Ji’s job is to debunk the belief that DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam — claims often used by political rivals —  and to explain the Penang government’s policies where Islam is concerned to Malay citizens.

The preacher, who is also PKR Youth’s religious bureau chief, said he was under orders from PKR to move to Penang to assist the PH state government.

“I was instructed by party vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar to come to Penang. The orders came from higher up, from (party de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim.

“I was told to bring the Islamic agenda to Penang. This is a big deal for PKR. Anwar sees Islamic issues as a priority.

“Another reason is how DAP has become the punching bag for PH’s political rivals that are out to attack the coalition with religious issues,” he said.

Wan Ji became the man for the job because of his background as an independent preacher in mosques and surau, and his training in Islamic education.

An Al-Azhar University graduate, he did his masters in maqasid shariah, and is now pursuing a doctorate at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan on countering terrorism among Muslims.

A former PAS follower from age 14, he said he still carried “the Nik Aziz political influence” of openness and willingness to collaborate with non-Muslims.

PAS’s revered spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat died in February 2015. Under his leadership, PAS worked with DAP but the political relationship ended after his death and PAS insisted on implementing hudud, or the Islamic penal code, in Kelantan.

In the same year of Nik Aziz’s death, PAS broke ties with DAP, causing the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition. This led many progressive leaders in PAS to quit the party, like Wan Ji who joined PKR.

Much spent on Islamic development

Wan Ji said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is DAP secretary-general, never had problems with Malays and Islam, despite the allegations against him from political rivals.

“He is interested in attending Islamic and Malay events and programmes, but his detractors won’t let him,” he said.

He said under Lim’s leadership, the Penang government had spent much on Islamic development and education since the opposition took over the state.

Under PH, the Penang government has spent RM457.05 million on Islamic affairs development since 2008, compared to the RM249.09 million spent by BN from 1999 to 2007.

For Islamic education, the state spent RM57.64 million on religious schools. BN spent RM20.11 million from 1999 to 2007.

The state also gave special aid, bonuses and ex-gratia to religious teachers amounting to RM15.55 million. It also gave a plot of prime land on Jalan Scotland worth RM80 million for the building of the new shariah court complex.

Under the state’s Equitable Economic Agenda from 2009 to April this year, Penang spent RM23.65 million on 1,461 recipients, 80% of whom are Malays.

Some 83% of the 2,540 borrowers under the state’s microcredit programme, which had dispersed RM11.71 million, are also Malays.

By just looking at the amount of money spent, Wan Ji said it was clear that Penang under DAP never neglected Islam.

“Perhaps the weakness in the Penang government is coming up with ideas and to expand and grow the existing Islamic institutions. 

“There are many Islamic bodies in Penang, like Yayasan Islam (Islamic Foundation), the Islamic council. The question is, how to make them more active.

“Personally, I think that with the right ideas and people, Penang can even achieve better Islamic growth than other states, including Selangor. Penang doesn’t stop people of different views (aliran) from discussing religion,” he said.

Trouble with religioius authorities

He recounted his own troubles with the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) as a former Selangor PAS Ulama committee member and more recently when he was detained for conducting an Islamic study circle (berusrah) without credentials in a surau in Petaling Jaya.

He also had a brush with Jais in February 2015 for giving a lecture without credentials in a surau in Shah Alam.

Wan Ji said anti-DAP propaganda by Umno and PAS had some effect on the Malays’ sentiments in Penang, but believed that for the most part, Muslims were happy with the state government.

He said when PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail met Sekolah Agama Rakyat teachers in a programme last Sunday, the religious educators admitted that the PH government was very different from the previous BN government and had done a better job.

Wan Ji also related hearing a PAS man admit that Lim had worked fast to solve a Muslim cemetery issue in Permatang Pauh.

“I went to a mosque and heard people praising Guan Eng because he solved the cemetery issue in Seberang Jaya that was full and needed a new site.

“The state gave a piece of land near the Bandar Perda mosque and approval for the land was given swiftly. A PAS man, who was overseeing the issue, acknowledged that even though he was not a fan of Guan Eng.” – October 1, 2017.