Raya sermon warns Muslims of effort against Islam

As several individuals face action for allegedly insulting Islam, a govermment-sanctioned sermon meant to be read after Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers warns of a concerted effort to undermine the religion. 

“As we celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we must realise that Islam’s enemies are using various ways and strategies to undermine Islamic unity and national peace. 

“They do so in a sophisticated manner through polluting culture and spreading slander either through the mass media or cyberspace, breaking the law, questioning the position of Islam in the federal constitution and demeaning the position of the Malay rulers,” the sermon reads.

The sermon, issued by the Islamic Development Deparment (Jakim), also warned that Islamic affairs and syariah law are also “openly debated without giving due respect to Islam as the religion of the federation, as stated in the constitution”.

According to the text, available in English and Bahasa Malaysia on the Jakim website, “tricks” such as freedom of expression and street demonstrations are also used to “weaken the government and undermine unity”. 

It said that this is part of a global effort to cause a “crisis of confidence” among Muslims and to “colonise the mind” through promotion of Western thinking like secularism, pluralism, socialism and feminism. 

“Imagine. If Muslims lose direction and dignity, are too taken in by certain parties, are self-centered and are used by others, then they will surely suffer an awful fate even in their own countries,” it said, citing incidents in the Middle East as example. 

‘Beware of hypocrites’

As such, it urged Muslims to unite and “be wary of hypocrites and traitors among Muslims”. 

These people, it said, “use religion as commodity, use justice as a political currency and are willing to go as far as cooperating with the enemy to topple a Muslim leader for the sake of gaining power”.

Muslims are expected to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Aug 8, after a month of fasting, during which Malaysia saw several incidents which raised racial and interreligious tensions.
These include the charging of bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee for allegedly insulting Muslims by posting a Ramadan greeting featuring themselves eating a pork dish. 

Religious issues were raised again when a parent alleged that her child and her other non-Muslim friends were made to eat in ashower room during Ramadan. 

The school later clarified that the school had converted the shower room into a temporary eating room since March for all students regardless of religion, as the canteen is under renovations. 

This was followed by another incident involving a school principalwho told students to “return to India and China”. She later apologised but clarified that she also told Malay students to “return to Indonesia”. 

On Wednesday, dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof was arrested and investigated for sedition and causing disharmony on the grounds of religion, through a video she made involving her dogs which allegedly insulted Islam.