Church raid: Umno's hand is clear and the issue has boomeranged (Updated)

When Hasan Ali defended JAIS for raiding a fund-raising dinner for HIV sufferers at Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Selangor, he probably thought he had won brownie points with the Muslim community and made himself out as a defender of Islam.

But actually, Hasan and JAIS may have struck a hornet’s nest of religious debate, all of which are unravelling at high and disadvantageous speed to Prime Minister Najib Razak's UMNO party instead of the real target - the Selangor state administration run by PKR Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.

While UMNO is trying to drive up support amongst hardline Selangor Muslims, so far the response has been tepid. Yes, Hasan may be a PAS leader but his former wish for a merger with UMNO should not be forgotten, and neither should the fact that many of the top JAIS leaders are UMNO stalwarts like Selangor state secretary Khusrin Munawi, who was in charge of JAIS before Najib promoted him to his current post.

Further evidence of UMNO's hand can be seen in the groups which have been the most vocal on the issue. These are mostly aligned to UMNO. By stark contrast, renowned former Perlis Mufti Asri Zainual Zbidin has crticised the raid as unbecoming of Islam. As for Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, he and his administration were the first to apologize for the raid. They have promised to be fair all by studying in detail the JAIS report before making any further public pronouncements.

At the same time, Christians around the country say they are beyond 'fed-up'. They now openly say they are praying for a change in government as that is the only way to end their persecution.

Did not bother to hide his distrust of Christians

Meanwhile, both Hasan and JAIS have stood out as arrogant enforcers of Islamic law, who go about their business without taking into due consideration the feelings and thoughts of those from other faiths.

Hasan did not hide his own distrust towards Christians when in defending JAIS’s actions, he stated that the words “Quran” and “Pray” were used in the dinner speech, where out of the 120 attendants, 12 or 15 diners were Muslims.

It was the use of these words that amounted to the act of proselytising towards Muslims and thus, Damansara Utama Methodist Church violated article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution. Yet, it defies logic, that these two words can and will shake the faith of faithful Muslims to the point that they would walk out of the dining hall as Christians.

Both logic and reason were thrown out of the window as Hasan and JAIS stepped forward to explain themselves with additional help from the press.

UMNO-controlled Berita Harian and Harian Metro picked up on Hasan’s statement and in typical Utusan Malaysia style, reported that "Muslims questioned that night confirmed that they had been asked to convert."

Both Berita Harian and Harian Metro did not back up their report with evidence and leaves us wondering, where did they get this bit of information from? How could they report this when the official report by JAIS was not even ready?

What was the goal of Berita Harian and Harian Metro, in writing such a report? Was it to create distrust among the Muslim community against their Christian neighbours and flame the age-old conflict between Christians and Muslims?

Between murtad and self-proclaimed 'murtad' status

In response to these news-reports, there is now a ‎1,000,000 umat Islam sokong JAIS & Hasan Ali cegah MURTADFacebook page. Yet, such irresponsible reporting hides the fact that for one to be declared “murtad” requires him or her to subject themselves to a process laid out by the Syariah Courts and their religious bodies. It is not a simple nor as easy a process as hinted on by Berita Harian and Harian Metro.

JAIS further shames itself by raiding a place of worship without first presenting strong and irrefutable evidence to support its actions. It is clear that this raid was acted upon in an impulsive and rude manner, compromising the universal accepted notion that the sanctity of any place of worship must be respected and its security safeguarded by those in authority.

For JAIS to subject 120 dinners to “abuse” is unacceptable when it would have been more professional to merely take aside the 12 or 15 Muslims who attended the function and question them with more privacy. This has set a precedence for JAIS or any other state Islamic enforcement agency to raid, disrupt and question guests and participants of functions held within the compounds of a non-Muslim religious establishment.

This is troubling and angers practitioners of other religions, for who gave Islamic bodies like JAIS over-lord status to dictate and monitor the activities of other religions?

Underpinned by the Constitution

There is no question that all who live in Malaysia accept Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution - Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation. This is also clearly stated.

Yet, the actions of JAIS, no matter how they attempt to explain themselves, cannot simply be swept under the rug because it seriously brings into question the interpretation and understanding of the following articles enshrined in the Federal Constitution:

8 (2) Except as expressly authorized by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.

11(3) Every religious group has the right— (a) to manage its own religious affairs; (b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and (c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law.

11 (4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

12 (3) No person shall be required to receive instruction in or to take part in any ceremony or act of worship of a religion other than his own.

The actions of JAIS and the statements by Hasan and the two newspapers clearly show a lack of understanding and appreciation for the Federal Constitution that safe-guards each and every citizen's right to religion. It further shows the willingness of these people to disregard national unity and religious harmony and to promote the continual polarization of Christians and Muslims.

This incident is a continuation of a stream of abusive statements that have been levelled upon the Christian community throughout the year. All of which have so far been baseless and merely serves to further widen the distrust amongst Muslims and Christians in Malaysia. It shows the arrogance of those in authority who choose to impose their own religious views without due consideration towards those who practice otherwise and brings to naught the visit by Najib Razak to the Vatican to promote Malaysia as a “moderate” Muslim country.

It is time to stop the religious attacks and the best way is for all faiths to pray for a government that can usher in enlightened leadership and peace so that all can live and let live according to their respective beliefs and creeds.

- Malaysia Chronicle