Governments have no business meddling in Islam, says scholar Kassim

Melati A. Jalil Melati A. Jalil Updated 7 years ago · Published on 17 Apr 2017 11:00AM · 6 Comments

GOVERNMENTS have no business meddling in matters of religion, Muslim scholar Kassim Ahmad said, as the way Islam is governed in Malaysia has led to religious conflicts.

The well-known intellectual said the Federal Constitution should also be amended to remove Islam as the religion of the federation. 

Kassim was speaking from experience. In March, the Federal Court unanimously rejected a leave application by the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) and three others to overturn a Court of Appeal ruling in 2015 that Kassim’s arrest by Jawi in 2014 was unlawful.

The other appellants were minister in charge of Islamic affairs Jamil Khir Baharom, Jawi’s then chief Sharie prosecutor Ibrahim Deris and the government of Malaysia. 

Jawi had raided Kassim’s house in Kulim and he was later brought to Kuala Lumpur on a midnight flight. In March 2015, he was charged at the Shariah High Court in Putrajaya with insulting Islam and defying religious authorities.  

“Religion has nothing to do with government officials… they just have to govern collectively and fairly,” the 83-year-old said. 

“We have to amend the constitution, the federal religion in the constitution must be removed. A government must be just, a country doesn’t have a religion, (only) people have religion,” the former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee told The Malaysian Insight after a talk in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. 

Kassim, who was released in 1981, spent nearly five years under ISA for expressing his political views.

Earlier during the session, Kassim said religions should be administered autonomously by their followers, unlike the current practice where the state controlled Islam.

“Every religious adherent has autonomous power, they arrange themselves. In the first place our constitution must be drastically revised in accordance with the Medina Charter, which was the first written constitution.

“Muslims… they just autonomously look after their own religion, the Buddhist look after their own religion, Christians look after their own religion,” he said. 

The octogenarian from Kedah said the Medina Charter, which includes religious tolerance, is suitable for a pluralistic society. The charter was drafted by the Prophet Muhammad during his rule of Medina to govern relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. 

“So, you don’t have conflict of religion. Here, you have it every day. Some people demonstrating, warning Nanyang Siang Pau,” he said, referring to a protest by PAS members at the Chinese daily’s office last week.

The Home Ministry issued a show-cause letter to the Chinese newspaper over a cartoon depicting PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia as monkeys in reference to the tabling of RUU355 or amendments to the Shariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.  

“You teach people the wrong idea, very wrong idea which you shouldn’t. The religion clearly says to you, enjoin the good and forbid the wrong,” Kassim added. – April 17, 2017.

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Comments

  • He is right to state that Governments should not meddle in religion

    Posted 7 years ago by Watchdog Watchdog · Reply

  • He is absolutely correct. Politics and religion are not to be mixed and the Government should play the role of non interference and not have religious istituition in its wing.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Throughout history, religious institutions and cultures have become corrupt when they become too close to the state. An excellent example is the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine to Christianity and Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire (and the subsequent fifteen hundred years or thereabouts in Europe especially). Christianity is still recovering from this unfortunate event. Today, we only have to look at Israel to see what sorts of evil can happen when a country is 'built on' one particular religion. In fact, Israel is in many ways similar to Malaysia.

    Syabas to Kassim Ahmad for daring to speak out on this issue.

    Posted 7 years ago by Anak Kampung · Reply

    • What has the Israeli government done that is considered "evil" in your reference? However I do agree that constitution that is mixed with religion can cause many issues.

      Posted 7 years ago by Reichen Siew · Reply

  • Spot on, our religious party act as government of Malaysia, there is some party think they are the almighty.... represents of it...

    Posted 7 years ago by Tze Boon Foong · Reply

  • "a country doesn’t have a religion, (only) people have religion". A very sensible statement, but will the government even touch it with a kilometer long pole? Instead he may be accused of blasphemy

    Religion, if it comes from God, is between God and those who practice it. Let God be the
    judge, not humans.Right thinking people should give this serious thought.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply