THOUSANDS of Muslims marched in Alor Star, Kedah this morning to protest the distribution of Bibles and the government’s plan to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

Despite the morning rain, they had gathered at the Sultanah Bahiyah mosque at 9am for the rally organised by Kedah’s Badar Squad – a Sungai Petani-based Muslim vigilante group that recently made the news for nabbing and counselling unmarried couples committing khalwat.

Shortly later, after listening to speeches by Muslim preachers, they marched about 2km to Wisma Darul Aman, where state government offices are located, to hand over a memorandum to Kedah religious exco Ismail Salleh over the two issues.

Among the crowd were notable preachers and personalities like Ustaz Ahmad Husam Badarudin, Semboyan 1Malaysia’s Yusuf Azmi, and Ustaz Dr Mohd Zamri Mohd Zalnudin, a television personality also known as Zamri Mantop.

Badar Squad leader Azhar Mohamad said Bibles had been distributed about a month ago in residential areas in Sungai Petani and in Baling a few days ago by a Chinese man and a foreigner.

Copies of the Bible were found left in letterboxes and even mosque compounds, he said.

Before these incidents, it was reported early this month that some individuals had distributed Bibles in front of a secondary school in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Yusuf, a well-known activist, said it seemed like the Bible distribution was a game to “disturb” the sensitivities of Muslims.

“No Muslim preacher has ever gone knocking on the doors of non-Muslim homes to preach Islam. No Muslim has ever gone to churches or temples to spread Islam.

“We are not so rude. We are also not racists. We just want to defend Islam. We also respect other faiths,” he told reporters at the main gate of Wisma Darul Aman after the memorandum was handed over to an officer from the exco’s office.

Yusuf said one single complaint should had been enough to get the authorities to take strict action, what more a large crowd that had gathered under the banners of Islam.

Religion has always been a sensitive issue in Malaysia, where it is an offence to propagate other faiths to Muslims.

Husam also said the government had to take stern action over the Bible distribution and ICERD issues.

Muslim groups have been protesting the federal government’s plan to ratify the UN convention out of fear that it could affect Article 153 of the federal constitution that provides for the special position of Malays and native communities in Sabah and Sarawak.

This is despite several ministers saying that ratifying ICERD will not violate the constitution or jeopardise the positions of Islam and the Bumiputera communities.

“We are apolitical here. There are PAS, Umno, and Pakatan Harapan members and supporters participating in this rally,” said Husam, who was invited by the Badar Squad to join the gathering.

“Action must be taken (against those who try to disrupt peace and harmony), otherwise racial conflict will worsen. Nobody wants another May 13,” he said, referring to the racial riot of 1969.

The group also panned Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator P. Waythamoorthy, who is in charge of national unity and social wellbeing.

Waythamoorthy is in charge of the government’s plan to ratify ICERD.

They cited the Hindraf leader’s past remarks that there was discrimination and violations of human rights in Malaysia, and that Indians were sidelined and many Hindus were forced to convert if they wanted to work in the government and get scholarships.

Waythamoorthy reportedly made the remarks seven years ago while overseas. A video of the old remark has recently resurfaced on social media.

Earlier, when speaking at the mosque before the march to Wisma Darul Aman, Yusuf also said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad should take action against Waythamoorthy.

At the mosque, Zamri also urged his fellow Muslims to stand up and voice their concerns to the government to defend Islam and the rights of Malays and Muslims, who make up the majority of the country.

The organiser of the rally estimated the crowd today to be between 3,000 and 5,000 although police at Wisma Darul Aman observed that it was just over 1,000 people. There were no untoward incidents.

Azhar said if the authorities still took no action, they would gather 10,000 people in the next rally.

The leaders of the rally are also hoping to see Ismail later this afternoon at Wisma Darul Aman to discuss Muslim concerns over the two issues. – November 18, 2018.