RIGHT-WING religious groups backed by state religious bodies were behind “state-sponsored discrimination” against minority groups, a progressive Muslim group said.

Speaking at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Komuniti Muslim Universal project officer Hisham Muhaimi also chided PAS for fuelling religious tension in the country.

“Not too long ago, in Kedah, a group of vigilantes, claiming to be defenders of Islam, went into cheap hotels in the state to conduct their own raids, taking those who were suspected of committing ‘khalwat’ (close proximity) to the cemetery as punishment.

“This created intolerance which opened doors for moral vigilante groups to police people when they have no right or authority to do so,” he said, referring to Skuad Badar, a group in Sg Petani who raided several budget hotels in the district looking to arrest Muslim couples.

Hisham was speaking at the Malaysian Muslim Youths’ Perspective on Politics, Economy, Social Life and the Role of Islam event organised by Merdeka Centre and Sisters in Islam (SIS).

On PAS, Hisham said party president Abdul Hadi Awang was responsible for misusing religion for political purposes.

Citing the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) rally, Hisham said that Hadi had come up with an edict urging Muslims to protest in a rally to safeguard Islam from “Western colonialism”.

“What was used by Hadi in urging people to go out and reject ICERD was dangerous,” he added.

It was not the first time Hadi had used a fatwa (edict) for political purposes. In the 80s, he had called Umno ‘kafir’ (non-believers) for rejecting Islam, he said.

Hisham also said the country must reconstruct its education system.

“We claim to be multicultural, multi-ethnic, but we only celebrate diversity when it comes to food, ignoring the real issues,” he added. – June 16, 2022.