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PUTRAJAYA – A group of 62 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are bent on bringing their complaints over the lack of enforcement against allegedly seditious remarks made by Islamic preachers to the king and the Malay rulers, if no action is taken by the Federal Islamic Affairs Agency (Jakim) concerning the matter.
A representative of the Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) coalition of NGOs, S. Shashi Kumar, expressed this intention after handing their second memorandum to Jakim urging action against the “rogue preachers” at the agency’s headquarters here.
Among other things, the memorandum today is seeking for the national religious authority to police and punish the allegedly insulting and derogatory sermons of these preachers.
Shashi explained how they are still awaiting an official response from the first memorandum handed to Jakim in 2018, and if today’s efforts yield similar results, he would be hard pressed not to elevate the matter to the royal institution.
“We will take legal action against the rogue preachers if no action is taken, but the next step for us after this is getting an appointment with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, followed by a meeting with the Malay rulers, which will be the final attempt.
“This is at least so we know we have exhausted our avenues and created awareness not only to agencies like Jakim, but among the king and the Malay rulers as well,” he told the press outside Jakim’s office here today.
Shashi added if conditions are favourable, they intend to meet the king sometime after the Chinese New Year festive period.
Among the preachers singled out by the NGOs are Firdaus Wong Wai Hung, Zamri Vinoth Kalimithu, Ahmad Iqram Mohd Noor, Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, Ustaz Syakir Nasoha, and Ustaz Idris Sulaiman.
“These Islamic preachers has been continuously attacking non-Islamic faiths and beliefs in public domain and social media with their intentional insults, lies, mocking, interfering, manipulating, misinterpreting, and misquoting the true verses in the holy books of non-Islamic religions for their own ulterior motives and hidden agendas.
“These Islamic preachers are clearly provoking and causing anger, tensions, and hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims which are intentionally made to cause unrest between the multiracial Malaysian communities that have been coexisting peacefully and harmoniously.
“We would like to remind Jakim that these preachers are a threat to the peaceful co-existence of a multiracial, multireligious, and multicultural society.
“Therefore, we urge Jakim to take immediate steps to stop these individuals and come up with strict guidelines not to interfere in other religions’ affairs in the name of ‘dakwah’ or preaching and get their preaching licence revoked if they do not comply with the stipulated guidelines,” read excerpts from the group’s memorandum.
Also present during the memorandum handover was Hindu Agaman Ani Malaysia spokesperson Arun Doraisamy, who questioned the lack of urgency shown by the police over almost 6,000 police reports lodged against those allegedly insulting non-Muslim religions since 2016.
He asserted that these reports lodged against various parties, including the aforementioned preachers, have just been swept under the rug by authorities, further claiming selective prosecution and double standards by authorities.
Arun claimed that inaction by the police has even managed to convince minority groups here that it might be redundant to expect action to be taken after lodging a police report, a dangerous development which could lead to vigilantes taking the law into their own hands.
“We will seek an explanation from the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney General’s Chambers as to what has been happening to all the police reports.
“These sorts of things just make a mockery out of our system.
“When we report, we do not just make the allegations, we substantiate it with evidence such as black and white, videos and such, and if that is not enough, what are we supposed to do, a citizen’s arrest?
“The PDRM and Attorney General’s Office, get off your chairs and start doing something, or please give someone else the responsibility to run the department,” he said.
Arun also called out National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique and her deputy Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal for their lack of urgency concerning the allegedly insulting and derogatory statements being made by these preachers.
He said Halimah’s ministry must assume their responsibility in working to iron out these national issues, adding that she and her deputy should both resign if they are unable to serve their roles.
“Her first duty is to call all the affected parties and for her ministry to then come up with an action plan, but it seems as though she is living in the United States and we have to make things happen ourselves.
“YB Halimah better just resign, or get down on the ground and listen to NGOs and parties affected, otherwise her position is as good as nothing.
“We have been fighting for this cause for the last six to seven years and still no action has been taken; we must wait probably for another 60 to 70 years for anything to be done,” he said.
During the handover today, officers from Jakim’s leadership were present to receive the coalition’s written memorandum, but declined to comment further on the agency’s possible course of action. –The Vibes, January 26, 2022
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