DAP Dewan Negara member R.A. Lingeshwaran has apparently found himself in the firing line by the rightist fraternity for challenging the notion that “Islam can be spread freely in Malaysia without any obstruction”.
This came about after UMNO’s Ulama Council deputy chairman Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali slammed the first-term senator (since March 2023) for calling on the police to investigate a Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) viral poster on benefits for students who are Muslim converts.
In Khairuddin’s contention, Lingeshwaran should realise that Malaysia is a Muslim country, hence Islam can be spread and developed anywhere within the country in accordance with the Federal Constitution, including at higher learning institutions (IPT) such as UPSI.
“Do these non-Muslim DAP leaders realise this or not? You’re a citizen of Malaysia, a Muslim country,” the former PAS member who is now a religious advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pointed out in a statement.
“It’s your religion which cannot be spread among Muslims … Don’t anger the Muslims. To the UPSI management, continue not to be apologetic about this ‘drunkenness’”.
One way traffic situation
But Lingeshwaran begged to differ by contending that public IPTs in Malaysia belong to all citizens regardless of religion, race or background.
Henceforth, these institutions should not be manipulated or exploited as a platform to encourage religious conversion either directly or through incentives, privileges or any form of encouragement that could create unhealthy perceptions.
“Such acts are a form of abuse of the process of a public institution that should remain neutral, inclusive and respectful of the diversity of Malaysian society,” the doctor-by-training rebutted in a media statement.
“While freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, including space for the dissemination of Islamic teachings, it must be implemented through channels that are ethical, prudent and don’t involve public IPTs as a medium that could cause concern or anxiety among non-Muslim students and their families.”
While non-Muslims would cherish the views expressed by Lingeshwaran, brickbats were hurled at him with rebuke that “this country is not built on the foundation of a plural society”. The gist of the trolling hinges on Islam rules as the official religion and that the so-called incentives come from zakat (tithe) funds.
“The original landowners are the Malays. The official religion is ISLAM. And the funds used are zakat funds. Muslim money, NOT government money,” fumed one rightist at the comment section of Lingeshwaran’s Facebook post which has amassed 1.6K likes, 2.5K comments and 228 shares at the timer of writing,
“Not everything is free like Hindutva who expects free land to build a HARAM temple!”
Others ticked off the Sungai Bakap Hospital director for “his shallow knowledge” of the Federal Constitution.
“Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and subject to Clause (4) to propagate it,” argued a seemingly learned commenter.
Accordingly, state laws and in the case of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, federal laws may regulate or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.
The Federal Constitution does not prevent the propagation of the religion of Islam to non-Muslims. However, the laws of Malaysia strictly regulate the propagation of any religion to Muslims under Article 11(4).
A number of rightists defended UPSI in that the poster was intended to assist mualaf (Muslim convert) students as opposed to “campaigning for non-Muslims to embrace Islam”, thus there is no need for Lingeshwaran to intervene in the matter in the first place.
Elsewhere this could just be a platform for DAP bashing by pro-opposition cybertroopers.
Whatever the case is, Lingeshwaran is walking on thin ice in his quest to defend the rights of non-Muslims in professing their faiths given some rightists have begun to give shout-outs to the cops to act against him for fanning 3R (race, religion, royalty) sentiments (or even urging the Agong to revoke his citizenship).
Such was how fellow DAP loyalist Tony Pua landed in hot soup for defending pig farming in Selangor with over 120 police reports lodged nationwide against the former Damansara MP. – June 18, 2026
Main image credit: The Merdeka Times
