THREE years ago today, Amri Che Mat was abducted and made to disappear by the Malaysian police.

Three years on, Amri’s disappearance forces us to ask what official, practical religion is propagated in Malaysia.

What official, practical religion is to be broken, melted, and re-cast as “Rahmatan lil Alamin,” which means “mercy for all”?

In case you didn’t know, Rahmatan lil Alamin is the name chosen by Mujahid Yusof Rawa, minister for religious affairs, for incorporation into the tapestry of New Malaysia.

A book titled Mercy to All Creation in the Context of Contemporary Society, published in Malay by the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council is to be translated into English, Mandarin and Tamil in the first quarter of 2020.

We know the federal constitution says Islam is the religion of the federation.

But what is the real, official, practical religion of Malaysia? That question has been in the back of my mind for years.

It came to the front of my mind yesterday when I read Faisal Tehrani’s article, in Malay, titled Amri Che Mat, darah yang di reguk carried by Free Malaysia Today.

The direct translation is “the blood of Amri Che Mat has been sucked”.

It could be titled Who sucked the blood of Amri Che Mat?.

This is my 100-word synopsis of Faisal’s article:

Sectarianism is the real, official, practical religion of Malaysia. Sectarianism has its high priests.

These high priests make pronouncements which sanctify (make holy) spilling the blood of proponents of non-Sunni-Shafi’i beliefs and practices.

The police protect these high priests and those who follow the paths they light up. While it is useful to find “small fry” like the missing Saiful Bahari (owner of the gold coloured Toyota Vios implicated in the abductions of Amri and Pastor Raymond Koh), it is more important to find and curb the high priests.

Will Mujahid’s Rahmatan lil Alamin address sectarianism and its high priests?

I didn’t pay attention to Islam in Malaysia in November 2004 when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and others signed the Amman message that agreed the shia stream of faith is accepted as Islam.

I began to pay attention during the Suhakam inquiry – by justice (retired) Mah Weng Kwai and law professors Aishah Bidin and Nik Salida Nik Saleh – into Amri’s disappearance.

Shiism featured during the hearings. The final report includes about 10 pages of discussion about Shiism in relation to Amri, the religious authorities and the police.

The report has a section titled Amri Che Mat Practicing Shiism, but does not go so far as to say that Amri was a Shia.

I’ll note six key points.

First, in 2014, Amri was one of 114 people arrested for attending a Shia gathering in Ijuk, Perak.

The Suhakam report says “IGP (Khalid Abu Bakar) … instructed the Perak chief of police to prevent any Shia group from gathering” on the grounds that “according to a fatwa kebangsaan (religious opinion issued at the national level) Shia was unlawful.” (para 100)

Second, in 2015, Shia materials were prominently displayed in Amri’s home. Photos of these materials were taken by members of a party of state religious officers and about 20 police personnel led by Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin.

Later these photos were posted online on web pages associated with the mufti.

Third, the mufti testified under oath that Amri had admitted to being a Shia and that he had received several – undocumented – complaints about Amri’s Shia activities in his home-office.

Fourth, ASP Razman Ramli, head of the Special Branch’s Social Extremism Division (E2) in Kangar Perlis, testified under oath that his unit had investigated whether Amri was propagating Shiism, but did not find Amri was doing so.

Fifth, Razman’s superior, Awaludin Jadid, however, testified that based on intelligence not available to Razman, he believed Amri was propagating Shiism.

He also testified that intelligence gathered by his officers had been passed over to the mufti in October 2016, at a meeting in the mufti’s office.

Sixth, the director of the Perlis State Islamic Affairs Department Hazman Hassan wrote a letter in which he accused Perlis Hope – the charity founded by Amri that includes non-Muslims – of being a Shia organisation.

Mujahid is one of my favourite politicians. He declared his assets long before anyone else in the present government.

He is a good listener. He has principles – not all of which I agree with – and he stands by them. He has courage and sensitivity.

Will Rahmatan lil Alamin end the high priesthood of blood-suckers?

The Bible, in Genesis 4:10, says in the voice of God “Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground”.

The blood of Amri cries out, like that of Abel. Who is listening? – November 24, 2019.

* Rama Ramanathan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.