PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised those who readily label fellow Muslims as hypocrites or declare them apostates over differences in opinion, saying such conduct runs counter to the values Islam upholds.
He said some people were quick to judge others after acquiring only a limited understanding of religion, instead of deepening their knowledge and approaching differences with wisdom.
“Today, we have many problems. People learn a little about religion and immediately start passing judgment, becoming takfiris, declaring others apostates and calling them hypocrites,” he said.
Anwar was speaking at the Majlis Ilmu Madani at Kompleks Seri Perdana today. The programme featured Indonesian religious scholar Ustaz Abdul Somad, who delivered a religious address.
He said efforts to strengthen the Muslim community must begin with knowledge and a deeper understanding of Islam, rather than a tendency to condemn or label others.
Anwar said the government had sought the views of religious scholars and teachers in its efforts to strengthen Islamic education, including through the national budget.
He said the government was also working to revitalise traditional Islamic educational institutions, including pondok schools and pesantren, while encouraging greater engagement with turath, the body of classical Islamic scholarly works.
“In the past, we sidelined the sheikhs, religious teachers and tuan guru. We invited them here and sought their views, and they said everything was fine. But there was a major weakness. What was it? You were not delving into the turath.
“So we planned how to revive the study of these old texts, the turath,” he said.
However, Anwar expressed disappointment that the government’s efforts had not stopped some quarters from accusing its leaders and budget of hypocrisy.
“When the budget is debated in Parliament, they say the leader is a hypocrite, and the budget is hypocritical,” he said.
He said he had chosen to remain patient rather than retaliate, adding that those who claimed to champion Islam should set a better example through their own conduct.
“They are not helping. They are not setting a good example in terms of character, personal conduct, moderation and tolerance,” he said.
Anwar said an approach based on wisdom, good counsel and respectful discussion was particularly important in Malaysia, where people of different religions and backgrounds live alongside one another. - October 28, 2026
