KUALA LUMPUR – Bans by the religious authorities in Terengganu and Perak on politicians from using mosques and surau to deliver ceramah show moves to curb potentially incendiary and divisive messages, observers said.
While it is a blanket move on all politicians, PAS is likely to be the most affected, one analyst also added.
These moves by Terengganu, a PAS-led state, and Perak, also follow similar prohibitions by Selangor and Johor previously.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia geostrategist Azmi Hassan said he believes other states will follow Terengganu and Perak, as the last general election (GE15) in November showed some PAS politicians openly spreading hate-fuelled messages that invoked race and religion.
“Like Terengganu and Perak, other states will likely follow suit as they (hateful messages) have reached a dangerous level.
“Mosques and surau are not appropriate places to speak on politics as they are places that are supposed to bring people together, this being the role of religion,” Azmi told The Vibes.
He said that despite preaching about religion, they used the topic divisively to gain political mileage.
“The sultan, who has power to administer the mosques and surau as well as other religious matters, has no choice,” said Azmi, adding that if left unaddressed, the spread of such rhetoric could create turmoil and unease.
On March 7, the Perak Islamic Religious Department issued a directive prohibiting politicians from giving ceramah at the state’s registered mosques and surau.
The ban in Perak came less than a week after a similar order by Terengganu on political leaders and activists from using mosques and surau to hold political activities or lectures.
Terengganu Islamic and Malay Customs Council governor Datuk Shaikh Harun Shaikh Ismail said the decision was made after obtaining Terengganu ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin’s assent.
However, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang was defiant over the matter, saying he will continue to deliver his sermons in mosques.
PAS and the palace
The ban on politicians and activists in Terengganu is significant as it is the only PAS-led state where the religious authorities have made such a move.
It is also significant in the wake of inroads made by Perikatan Nasional in GE15 into other states besides sweeping all PAS-held states, dubbed the “green wave” by observers.
In January, Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim issued a prohibition on mosques and surau from being used to spread political propaganda.
In December 2021, Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed through the state’s religious council that Islam should not be politicised and used as political material by any party, especially in Selangor’s mosques and surau.
PAS is likely to be the most affected by these bans, said Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Azmil Tayeb, as mosques are central to the party for organising its grassroots members and spreading its messages.
When asked whether the ban in PAS-led Terengganu would lead to a schism between the party and the state’s palace, which is in charge of handling religious affairs, Azmil agreed.
“It’s no secret there’s no love lost between PAS and the palaces, especially after GE15 when the royalty seemed to favour Datuk Seri Anwar (Ibrahim) and his unity government.
“This schism will play out within the state religious authorities tasked to enforce rules, and between the PAS partisans and those who support the palace.”
Meanwhile, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun lauded the bans, noting how religious sentiments are easily fanned during election campaigns.
“In a multiracial country such as this, it could have disastrous consequences not only for national unity, but for public security as well,” Oh said.
“For the vast majority of the Malaysian population, religion should be separate from politics, and places of worship should not become politicised arenas.
“Hadi is welcome to deliver sermons with religious, but not political content,” Oh added. – The Vibes, March 9, 2023
