Selangor dances the limbo for JAIS

The Sultan's decree does not resolve important issues raised by the farcical raid on DUMC and has left many with bottled up feelings of resentment and discontent

COMMENT

The principal parties involved in the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) raid on a Methodist church function last August have officially endorsed the sultan’s solution, and the matter is deemed closed.

The Sultan of Selangor’s brief statement said that “….there had been attempts to subvert the faith and belief of Muslims” during the dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) organised by the NGO Harapan Komuniti during Ramadan.

Despite this, many issues remain unresolved and the rakyat is more perplexed than ever because his statement raises more questions than answers.

How much involvement has Umno in the affairs of an opposition led state, do state religious authorities think that they are above the law and had abuses of power by JAIS been swept under the carpet?

The statement did not allude to any evidence uncovered in these “attempts” at proselytisation, neither did it make reference to the Christians.

However, it mentioned that no further legal action could be taken because of insufficient evidence and that JAIS had acted correctly in conducting the search.

Sultan Sharafuddin said: “Therefore, after carefully deliberating the report by JAIS and after obtaining advice from religious authorities and legal experts, we are in agreement that there would be no prosecution against any party.

“We are satisfied that the actions of JAIS were correct and did not breach any law enforceable in Selangor. We command that (Islamic officials) provide counseling to Muslims who were involved in the said dinner, to restore their belief and faith in the religion of Islam.”

Officials of DUMC have, from the outset, vehemently denied the allegations that Muslims had been proselytised at what they claim was a multiethnic gathering to raise funds for HIV/AIDS. They have however, criticised the actions of JAIS enforcement officials for their role and conduct in the unauthorised raid.

Perhaps, the most disquieting statement was when the sultan said that he was “gravely concerned and extremely offended by the attempts of certain parties to weaken the faith and belief of Muslims.”

Malaysians have remarked that they are just as offended because nothing has been done to check high-handed officialdom and the mistrust which the officials have in the rakyat.

Firstly, they are offended that Malays are perceived to be of weak faith and an even weaker constitution, that their presence in a largely Christian flock, when hymns are sung or prayers said, could make them denounce their faith.

Secondly, the notion that any multiethnic event, be it a funeral, Christmas party, celebration of a festival or something as innocuous as a dinner, is seen as an attempt to convert the Muslim brethren.

As defender of the faith, the sultan had also directed his subjects to stop questioning the actions of JAIS and that activities which spread other religions to Muslims should cease.

He said: “The religion of Islam as practised in Selangor is one of tolerance. Muslims are always encouraged to respect the believers of other religions. However, persons or parties cannot take the opportunity to spread other religions to Muslims.”

What if a similar raid was on a mosque?

But disgruntled non-Muslims have remarked: “It is all right for you Muslims. But who speaks for us, when members of our community undergo forced conversions?

“Families are torn apart, children are separated from their mothers, bodies are snatched from graves, marriages cannot be registered. Where is the freedom to practise our religion as provided in the constitution?”

A Malay resident of Petaling Jaya living beside a Church said: “No one questions JAIS for wanting to do its job. The issue is how JAIS conducted itself when it carried out the raid.

“Did JAIS have any respect of the sanctity of a place of worship? Did it even follow procedures when conducting the raid? Are there any standard procedures in the first instance?

“If a similar raid were to be conducted on a mosque, wouldn’t there be a Muslim backlash? Without search warrants or strict adherence to guidelines to raid, do you think anyone will have any respect for authority if they simply bulldoze their way in?

“Where is the respect for another person’s religion?” Where is our tolerance?”

Mindful of the many illegal and unlawful precedents of the raid, the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid Ibrahim has said that the Selangor government would form a special committee to scrutinise the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of JAIS with regard to attempts to proselytise Muslims.

Khalid said that the committee would include religious leaders, legal experts and senior government officers, and in an attempt to draw a line over the incident and prevent royal dissent, he acquiesced and said: “The Selangor government will not look back on this issue. Rather, we will enhance awareness on the need to strengthen JAIS’ enforcement and gathering of evidence.”

Khalid’s delicate role as diplomat-cum-politician is misconstrued as a feeble attempt to placate certain quarters, not least to salvage JAIS’ reputation. Nonetheless, the Christians are left bristling with discontent.

Questions have been raised as to why a six-minute video clip of the raid surfaced on pro-Umno blogs a fortnight later. There were security concerns when photographs and personal details of the Muslim dinner guests were leaked. How did the bloggers obtain supposedly confidential JAIS evidence?

Lawyers representing Harapan Komuniti said that they had not been given a final report nor any details about the JAIS raid. They also said that investigations into the death threat received by their clients, had not achieved any progress.

Meanwhile, the Selangor executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs, Hasan Ali, was satisfied with the sultan’s decree and said that he was grateful that the sultan “wanted stern action to prevent proselytising”…. “because of the attempts to influence people’s faith”.

If there was insufficient evidence, why should the Muslims be counselled? And if there were indeed attempts to proselytise, shouldn’t the offenders be punished? What about the lawfulness of the raid itself?

This decree does not resolve any of the important issues raised by this farce and has left many with bottled up feelings of resentment and discontent.

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist