THE statement by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah comes at the perfect moment as Idris seemed to have overstepped his boundaries in instructing Muslims not to attend the Bon Odori festival.
Perhaps it is now time for us to also define clearly the power and authority of our Rulers in the administration of Islam in this country.
The various state constitutions already states that the Sultan is the head of Islam in their State. However, it seems that Putrajaya have a bigger say and control over the administration of Islam and this is where the interference of the state in religion occurs.
The recent statement by PAS Ulama Council and PAS Women Wing in calling for Muslims to stay away from the Bon Odori festival despite getting rebuked by the Sultan of Selangor is a sign that the Government is challenging the monarch’s authority when it comes it Islam.
So, who is the ultimate authority on the matter? We need to clearly spell this out and hand the power back to the hands of the Rulers completely.
They must be in control of the religion and Islamic institutions in the country and the State should never get involved in the administration of the religion. This will also make the Islamic Affairs Ministry redundant.
And there is also a need to stop political parties like PAS, which exploits religion for their own benefit and spreads extreme views. PAS’ ideologies are a matter of great concern for Malaysians as they are now part of the Federal Government and can influence policies and laws.
From their opposition to the Beer Fest Carnival, Valentine’s Day, the Bon Odori festival and with PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang sympathising with the Taliban regime, the party has continuously created controversies and caused unnecessary distress to Malaysians in this country, often encroaching into the rights of non-Muslims.
Perhaps, it is time we call for a ban on political parties using religion as their platform. History has shown how religion can be exploited by political parties and its leaders causing unrest and divisions among communities, disrupting progress.
The nexus between State and religion in this country overlaps so much to the extent that Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin seem to have forgotten that he has no right in telling people of other faiths on how to celebrate their festivals. It was recently reported that
He had proposed for the Bon Odori festival to be renamed to “Japanese cultural festival” and for the organiser to ensure that there will be no religious elements at the event.
It is mind blogging on how a well-known preacher could come out with such a statement. While many may laugh at Asri’s statement, incident such as this reaffirms the need for the separation of religion from the State.
We must return the power back to the Sultans, in Their Majesties’ capacity as head of Islam in their respective states.
The words of former US president John F. Kennedy on Sept 12, 1960, addressed to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association is very relevant to Malaysia today, albeit in a context of a different religion, in that he said:
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute – where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote.
“I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish – where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source – where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials.” – June 12, 2022
K Sudhagaran Stanley is a human rights activist and contributor to FocusM.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
