Zaid: Will Malaysia stop Shiites from entering Mecca?

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has challenged Putrajaya to petition the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the United Nations to bar those who profess to the Shiite branch of Islam from entering Mecca.

In a post on his blog today, Zaid said if the Malaysian authorities truly believes that Shiites are not Muslims, they must be consistent at the international level.

"Take on the central strage of the Muslim world if you truly want to be a Sunni warrior. Do not bully local Muslims like Mat Sabu," he wrote.

Zaid was commenting on the ongoing persecution of Shiites in Malaysia and theallegation that Mohamad Sabu, the PAS deputy president, was among them.

Zaid, who once owned the biggest law firm in the country, said the Federal Constitution guarantees religious freedom and thus the state cannot enforce the branch of Islam to be followed.

"It's up to Muslims in this country to decide for themselves what kind of Muslims they want to be. I believe they have that right under the Constitution. I am a Muslim and that's all there is to it.

"The state may define Islam as the Sunnah Wal Jumaah variety, but that definition cannot supersede Article 8 in the Constitution on religious freedom.

"The state can advise on what variety is 'pure' but it cannot punish Muslims if they prefer a different variety. Punishment is God's work, not government officials,"  he said, stressing that Malaysia is a secular state.

Preventing religious wars

Zaid warned that continued persecution of Shiites will lead the country into Sunni-Shiite conflicts similar to what has happened to Lebanon and Syria.

He said constitutional provisions for religious freedoms was the only way to prevent religious wars and that the federal government should take cognizance of this if it was serious about peace and stability.

"The Prime Minister says he is a moderate. If that is true then he should speak out a lot more about the subject in Malaysia.

"He should also have Ministers who are moderate and capable of engaging with difficult subjects. He should defend the Federal Constitution, but not as it is interpreted by the Muslim Lawyers Association," said Zaid.