PUTRAJAYA must not heed the suggestion by former shariah chief judge Sheikh Ghazali Abdul Rahman for a new law to curb the spread of non-Muslim religions, an interfaith group said.
The Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) said a law to protect only one religion while leaving out others, was not right.
“Why are there double standards, that only Islam can be spread to others?” MCCBCHST president R.S. Mohan told The Malaysian Insight.
“If there is going to be such a law, then Islam should also be included,” he said in response to a report in Utusan Malaysia quoting Sheikh Ghazali.
The former shariah chief judge said all states should consider passing a law to curb the spread of other religions following the distribution of Bibles to students outside a secondary school in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
Photos of several men handing out the Bibles were taken by parents and have gone viral on social media. Six Muslim groups have also lodged police reports on the incident.
Sheikh Ghazali said the Penang Islamic Affairs Department, which is investigating the matter, was unable to act because of the lack of such a law.
He also said all states should consider passing such a law to prevent such incidents.
Some states already have enactments on non-Islamic religions controlling the propagation of other religions among Muslims, such as Selangor’s 1988 enactment.
The federal constitution also prohibits the proselytisation of other religions to Muslims.
Mohan said what happened in Bukit Mertajam was wrong according to the constitution, but introducing a law to control other religions was not right either.
“Let every religion conduct their own practices and no one be interrupted from practising their religion.
“But if they start spreading their religion to others and indirectly forcing them to convert, then it is wrong.”
Mohan also said there have also been cases where the Quran was distributed to non-Muslims and cases where children were converted to Islam without their parents’ consent, such as in boarding schools.
“To learn and understand other religions is good because we are a multiracial country and it makes us a better nation.
“But there shouldn’t be any hidden agenda like trying to convert anyone.
“Also, in the constitution, it states that we are allowed to practise our own religion. In the new Malaysia, we respect each person’s religion.” – November 10, 2018.
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