THE recent detention of a Turkish author shows that certain sectors of the government are drifting towards religious extremism, says the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

In criticising Mustafa Akyol’s 17-hour detention on Monday, Suhakam urged the federal government to rein in agencies such as the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi), which instigated the journalist’s detention.

While it does not believe that Jawi’s treatment of Mustafa reflected an overall change in government policy, the public may not see it that way, said Suhakam chairman Razali Ismail.

“Evidently, a sector of the government has been allowed to take arbitrary measures interpreted by them to be a defence of their interpretation of principles,” Razali said in a statement.

“Such extreme action in our multi-religious, multiracial and moderate Malaysia in our view is repressive, undemocratic and intended to be intimidating.

“There is no question that this must be stopped by the government and such actions that reflect hostility, narrow-mindedness and intolerance of civil, intellectual and religious discourse should not be committed again.”

Mustafa had been detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday night after an arrest warrant was issued against him by the Federal Territories shariah court.

The warrant was requested by Jawi after Mustafa failed to present himself at the department’s offices on Monday afternoon.

Jawi had wanted to record a statement from him for being involved in an Islamic Renaissance Front-organised forum titled “Does Freedom of Conscience Open the Floodgates to Apostasy”.

He was probed for breaching Section 11 of the Federal Territories Shariah Offences Act 1997, which makes it an offence to teach Islam or Islam-related topics without accreditation from Jawi.

He was released yesterday afternoon and left Malaysia later the same night.

Yesterday, Suhakam had sent a team of commissioners to probe Mustafa’s detention.

Razali said that if left unchecked, such actions would only embolden those pushing for polarisation and superiority of one group or one religious belief over another.

“Suhakam strongly counsels the government to take stock of the drift towards religious extremism and fears that if such situations continue, Malaysia would change qualitatively for the worst.” – September 27, 2017.