KUALA LUMPUR – A human rights group and a coalition of non-governmental organisations have called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to intervene in the proposed plan to restrict the progress of non-Islamic religions in Malaysia.
S. Shashi Kumar, president of the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) said the Control and Restriction on the Propagation of Non-Muslim Religions Bill would go against the fundamentals and tenets of the federal constitution.
He said this after submitting two memorandums on this matter to Ismail Sabri’s office at Putrajaya today to object to the move recently revealed by Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary.
The two memorandums were on behalf of GHRF and a coalition of NGOs and civil society groups, including those from Sabah and Sarawak.
Shashi told The Vibes that a representative from Ismail Sabri’s office had accepted both documents.
Also present was the coalition’s coordinator Arun Doraisamy.
“The rights of minorities should not be oppressed or violated,” the GHRF said in the memorandum.
Marzuk, who is the deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Islamic affairs), had reportedly said that this was among four shariah laws being drafted by the federal government.
In an apparent attempt to allay criticism, Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar later said that the matter is nowhere close to being finalised.
He reasoned that the issue has not even been discussed in the cabinet, and noted that for any such bill to be tabled in Parliament, a consensus must be reached by all states.
This is because religious matters are under the jurisdiction of the respective states, he said.
Shashi said Marzuk’s statement had caused “great anxiety and fear amongst non-Muslims on the fundamental rights to practice their religion”.
He also pointed to Wan Junaidi’s conflicting statement, which he said “clearly contradicts the earlier statement made by the deputy minister of Islamic affairs, who has not withdrawn his statement and it still remains as a proposal for the future".
Shashi stressed that the constitution is the supreme law of the federation and pointed to Article 11 (1) under freedom of religion, in which every person has the right to profess his religion and propagate it, subject to clause (4).
He said the federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among those professing Islam.
“Thus, where there is no propagation of other religions’ doctrine or belief to Muslims, clause (4) will not apply.
“However, the constitution does not provide any right for the government to legislate any form of control or impose any restrictions on the beliefs and practice of non-Muslims in Malaysia.”
Shashi reminded Marzuk that the basic structure of the country’s secular constitution will not allow for a theocratic Islamic state for Malaysia, where all religions are subject to the constitution.
“The proposed shariah law in Bill 355 is a reflection of the sad state of ethic and religious relations in the country,” he said, referring to proposed amendments to the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. – The Vibes, September 9, 2021
