IT IS time that the government considers setting up an Inter-faith Committee comprising non-Muslims and Muslims unlike the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Taoist Consultative Council of Malaysia (MCCBCHST), which is unable to do more for inter-religious harmony due to lack of Muslim participation.
For long the Inter-faith Consultative Council has asked the government to give it “Council” status to make it more effective but this has been opposed by Muslim political parties and NGOs who feel that this will give it equal status with Islam, which is the official religion of the country.
Due to this the MCCBCHST has been hamstrung from getting valuable inputs and feedback from Muslims and Islamic leaders when it could in reality benefit from a healthy discussion of various issues affecting all the communities and reach an agreement and consensus.
At a time when there are various proposals to introduce Shariah laws at the local and federal levels, it will be good for the non-Muslims communities to get a better understanding of the various amendments and enactments. which can put an end to the worries and fears that the legal reforms will affect non-Muslims.
In Muslim-majority Malaysia Shariah law will become more prevailing and pervasive in the future and it will be considerate of the government to ensure that it is done with the support of non-Muslims by allaying their fears.
The government has repeatedly said that Shariah will be applied to Muslims only and that non-Muslims need not fear.
This task will be much easier if there was an Inter-faith Committee comprising Muslims also in which case more in-depth discussions and suggestions could be put forth to create better understanding of each other’s positions and sensitivities.
For quite some time now numerous religious issues have been raised by various groups that need to be better addressed equitably, amicably and diplomatically without resorting to negative sentiments.
Malaysia is very much distinctive in that it has a large number of Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Hindus. Possibly, no other country has this unique distinction, and it is on the people and government to ensure that this special feature is safeguarded for the betterment of the nation.
Recently, when Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming brought up the need for discussions with Islamic authorities when reforms were being contemplated it led to much criticisms and polemics, and the spirit of his suggestion was lost in the ensuing controversy.
Just yesterday Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar criticised the Inter-faith Council for opposing the proposed amendment to Act 355 and the Shariah Courts Act (Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965.
This kind of misunderstanding arises due to both sides not being properly consulted to give their views.
Even though Shariah laws are for Muslims only it will be better for the minister and religious leaders to have more dialogues – even Town Hall sessions – to lay to rest the misconceptions about the amendments.
This is for the national good. This is the reason why an Inter-faith Committee comprising Muslims and non-Muslims need to be instituted by the government.
This will ensure that politicians will not meddle with religious issues, which should be confined to the all-inclusive Interfaith Committee, which can decide what is best for the communities and the country.
Presently, religious issues are a free-for-all topic, and political leaders and parties make it even more polemical as they feel they are duty-bound to have a say as religious issues are “part of politics”.
Politicians take it upon themselves to add to the problem, and an Inter-faith Committee will deprive them of any major say in this sensitive matter. – April 10, 2024
V. Thomas is a Focus Malaysia viewer.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
