'Political failure' Hasan Ali should just quit

The raid conducted by the Selangor Islamic Department or JAIS on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya to expose a fund-raising dinner for HIV sufferers has caused an uproar. Condemned by many quarters for their high handed tactics, JAIS has turned around to accuse DUMC of trying to proselytize the Muslims with offers of RM1,000 for their conversion.

What was most apparent in the current controversy was the re-emergence of Hassan Ali. The 64-year-old former Selangor PAS commissioner has in the past created many controversial issues that have ruffled the Selangor State Government, the public and the Muslims. Like a lone ranger, he is determined to carve a niche for himself in the bleak political landscape. Knowing that his political fate with PAS has soured, Hassan Ali has strived very hard to maintain 'political relevance' with the other side, which if of course UMNO.

Defending JAIS on the controversial raid, he reiterated that there were attempts to proselytise Muslims during the dinner. Hassan Ali has been called upon to provide concrete evidence of the proselytization efforts as it is a very serious allegation. The implications are too serious to be dismissed and the allegations must be thoroughly checked.

Sad to say, the 64-year old Hasan Ali is also regarded as a political failure due to his inconsistent policies and lame decisions. He has yet to understand that his high handed actions and statements are the real threat to national security.

People like Hassan are a dime a dozen. They can be found everywhere in the garbage of extremist politics. Pretending to be a defender of Islam, he goes all out to create disharmony in the name of Religion. Where most people dare not venture and even angels fear to tread, Hasan has no qualms planting his flag and creating a religious furore at the expense of the religion. He continues to hide behind the religion's skirt and says he does it for the sake of Islamic unity.

JAIS run by UMNO stalwarts

JAIS is also no stranger to controversy. A couple of years back, JAIS even arrested former Perlis mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin for delivering a talk "without permit" while last year, state leaders vehemently opposed the Federal government's decision to promote JAIS chairman Khusrin Munawi as state secretary. In stark contrast Asri has come out to criticise the raid as unbecoming of Islam.

Meanwhile, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has ordered JAIS to prepare a report to justify its action, which later MMLA – Muslim Lawyers Association had come out to defend JAIS and warned against making the report public. Wira Perkasa and other NGO’s have all come out to defend JAIS in a show of strength.

Hassan Ali sensing that the fiasco had gone out of hand had even offered to resign, but he has made known that his actions were made in the defence of Islam. Alarm bells started ringing when Hassan Ali tried to negotiate a merger with UMNO to rule Selangor right after the 12thGeneral Election. Since then he has never failed to rear his pretty head and using every opportunity to try and discredit the Selangor State Government.

Malaysian Muslims are not under siege, but the government’s efforts to restrain Muslims have made us feel that our Faith is constantly being questioned. Failing to drive up support from the hard-line Selangor Muslims, a controversy like this would come in handy to dislodge sensitive Muslim supporters from embracing the Pakatan Rakyat government, after Bersih 2.0 had shown that the Racial Card is no more effective.

Aimed to anger Muslims against S'gor govt and Pakatan Rakyat

Hasan Ali and JAIS are seen as arrogant enforcers of Islamic law, blind and insensitive to the feelings of non-Muslims. Hasan in his defence of JAIS stated that the words “Quran” and “Pray” were used in the dinner speech that amounted to the act of proselytising towards Muslims and thus DUMC had violated article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.

Later Berita Harian and Harian Metro picked up on Hasan’s statement, twisted it and reported that Muslims were asked to convert.

Was it to create distrust among the Muslim community against their Christian neighbours or flame the age-old conflict between Christians and Muslims? Yes and No. Muslims have nothing to fear from the Christians in this country. This act was engineered on purpose to anger the Muslims in this country against the Selangor Administration and Pakatan Rakyat as a whole, for which the Christians were made convenient scape goats. It has nothing to do with hate or distrust of the Christians

Knowing that using the Chinese or Indians as scape-goats could blow up big time in their faces; they have resorted to the handy Christian bogey­­-man. It also shows the governments willingness to disregard national unity and religious harmony and to promote the continual polarization of Christians and Muslims..

The fact that a couple of days earlier Dato Ambiga Sreenevasan of Bersih 2.0 was reportedly hosted by Daniel Ho the Pastor at the church have also raised questions whether the whole fiasco was political and was the raid to punish DUMC?

Eyes are now turned to the PAS Central Committee whether any punishment will be meted out against Hassan Ali for his highly controversial action? Seriously, he should keep to his word and resign, and not just offer lame excuses!

Christians, meanwhile are truly tired and fed-up with the controversy, and have vowed to pray for the downfall of the government. It is really beyond us, why BN still do not value peace and harmony among the races, which would have been a boon for them?

- Malaysia Chronicle