AS a country of diverse faiths, friction among religious groups is expected but should be managed properly to ensure our continued harmonious co-existence.

Of late, verbal jousts powered by viral and often unsubstantiated or embellished statements have led to the blurring of lines and logic when dealing with sensitive issues – sometimes non-issues spectacularly – turned sensitive.  

Malaysians need to regain objectivity in looking at issues, particularly “religious” ones.

Most recently, two cases have been made out to be religious ones – more accurately, religious persecution. One involves a popular preacher renowned for his charity work, facing 11 charges related to sexual harassment, while the other is a custody matter, where a state religious authority got involved after a father unilaterally converted his three children without the knowledge or consent of his wife, with whom he has since divorced. 

Both issues would probably not be front-page news if not for the religious element involved.                  

To check if an issue is truly one pertaining religion, a simple two-step objective test could be applied.

First, remove the religion of the people involved. Second, check if the issue erodes the status quo of Islam or laws of the country related to it – prohibition against proselytisation, desecration or disrespect.

If both fail the test, then it should not be considered a religious matter to begin with. 

Religion, Islam or otherwise, should not be allowed to be used as a shield to hide or reason to excuse bad behaviour, to circumnavigate conventional laws, to obtain unfair advantage in matters like inheritance or divorce or custody of children.

Such self-serving application of religious conversion only serves to tarnish the religion’s good name.  

Although we live in a dual justice system, civil or common law is still the preceding de facto law of the land, and should be applied especially where both parties are judged to be equals. 

But given the emotive state of affairs fuelled by political slogans and agenda, we may be past the point of rational discussion on these matters. 

There exists a trust deficit that needs to be addressed, and a dual strategy of moderation and education in the interim to prevent further erosion of racial and religious harmony and replace the fiery contemptuous arguments with dialogue and discourse where justice can be done and be seen to be done in such conflict. This is particularly so with the imbalance of state machinery, complex administration of Islamic matters often not understood by non-Muslims and conflict of laws between federal-enshrined constitutional guarantees and state-administered religious affairs.  

For this, the government needs to create a legitimate, sufficiently empowered body comprising both Muslims and non-Muslims to advise it on these issues.

With this empowered body, it could even go beyond advisory and consultative status, but have powers to recommend concrete action and decisions, or perhaps in some cases, to defer and revoke such policy decisions, with the interest of realigning national discourse, preserving peace and harmony and ensuring justice is not sacrificed for expedience. 

It would provide Putrajaya with not only unbiased and weighted advice on sensitive matters, but serve as a go-between and protect the government from accusations of non-impartiality, while providing political cover, to enable them to make decisions that may be unpopular for a while, but ultimately serve our shared interests. 

These would also serve as an ultimate opinion source – currently a split narrative with each party having their own interests to serve and further, and “subject matter experts” inadvertently serving as key opinion leaders splitting issues further and giving the conversation a divisive rather than a conciliatory tone taken by some like the Penang mufti.  

If left unchecked, the rift caused by these topics and the continual sidestepping would only serve to widen our communal gulf. – February 23, 2022.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.