Ibrahim Ali tells Syahredzan Johan not to be Muslim traitor

Ibrahim said it is implied in the Constitution that Islam is the official religion of the country. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali has called lawyer Syahredzan Johan a traitor for saying that the Federal Constitution has never stated Islam is the country’s “official religion”.

Syahredzan had commented on an Utusan Malaysia report that Christians want to usurp the religion’s place in the charter.

The Umno-owned paper and some Malay-Muslim groups, including Umno leaders, have been pushing the view that the country’s highest law proclaims Islam to be its “official” religion and that only a Muslim can be its prime minister.

Syahredzan, who is the Bar Council’s constitutional law committee chief, said Utusan’s reading of the law was wrong and warned the Malay-language daily was pushing what he described as a “dangerous misconception” that could plunge the country into religious and social unrest.

“In terms of the Federal Constitution, there’s only one religion for the federation, no official or unofficial. The Constitution is clear on this. Islam is not the official religion,” he said to The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday.

Today, Ibrahim said that Syahredzan was trying to boost his popularity in the Bar Council that was full of non-Muslims.

“The constitutional lawyer has a narrow brain or is he making the statement for the sake of wanting to be popular among the Bar Council lawyers which are mainly non-Muslims. Please don’t be a traitor to Islam,” he told the Malaysian Insider.

Ibrahim explained that since Islam is the only religion recognised by the Federal Constitution and it was therefore implied that it is the official religion.

“Even though the Constitution only mentions Islam as the federal religion, therefore in terms of definition when other religions are not the federal religion then Islam itself becomes the official religion.

“That is the intention of the Constitution. Why does Syahredzan not understand this?” he said.

Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution does not position Islam as the “official” religion of the country.

It only states that “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.”

The Federal Constitution does not expressly specify race or religious requirements for the position of prime minister.

Article 43(2)(a) of the constitution states only that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint as PM a member of Parliament who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.