ISSUES surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Malaysia will be the “litmus test” of how open and liberal the new Pakatan Harapan government truly is, said an Islamic scholar.

Ahmad Farouk Musa, who heads the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), said at a forum today that it was high time that open discussions on sexual minorities in the country be allowed in the public sphere, especially with the change in government.

Issues regarding the LGBT community often arise when liberalism is talked about, because is it seen as a “litmus test” for one’s level of liberalism, he said at the forum titled “Is it time to look beyond the idea of liberal Islam?” in Kuala Lumpur today.

“When you see someone who is liberal, the most important thing is to be able to accept diversity,” he said.

“I think it is time for us to speak about this more and we have an open-minded minister of religious affairs in this country, who is deemed to be liberal as well,” he said, referring to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic Affairs Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

Mujahid had recently said that anyone who identified as LGBT should not be discriminated against in the workplace.

The issue was raised to Mujahid after a former aide to Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed  Abdul Rahman stepped down citing pressure from critics due to his LGBT activism.

Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin had also opened up on the LGBT issue, saying it was wrong to deny members of the community their rights. – July 22, 2018.