Anwar hits out at Najib over ‘religious persecution’

By Clara Chooi

March 24, 2011

Anwar: Thus, I regard this threat to prosecute me for remarks in support of a more inclusive and more tolerant society in a multicultural multi-religious country like Malaysia’s not just as a violation of my constitutional rights, but a great affront to the people.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has accused the Najib administration of religious intolerance and double standards over the Malay bibles row, while investigating him for advocating mutual respect and tolerance.

He cited as examples of hypocrisy and double standards the flogging of a Muslim woman for drinking beer while rich Muslims drank with impunity.

The Opposition Leader also pointed out that the government continues to ban the use of the word ‘Allah’ for Christians to refer to God, even though the administration conditionally allowed recently the release of Malay-language bibles.

Anwar said it was hypocritical of the government for wanting to probe him for allegedly uttering blasphemous statements during a speech in London when he was actually advocating the inclusiveness of Islam.

He refused to back down from his stand on religious pluralism, insisting today that the concept does not denigrate Islam but promotes inclusiveness unlike the “hypocrisy” of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia.

Under Najib’s administration, scoffed Anwar, religious intolerance and ethnic tensions had only intensified over the years, fuelled by a number of recent incidents that showed the Prime Minister not only practices double standards but has also failed to adhere to his own 1 Malaysia principles.

The Opposition Leader also refused to retract his speech on religious pluralism at the London School of Economics in March last year and declared today that he would stick to his convictions on the topic.

This, he charged, was despite last week’s threat from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom that he would be investigated for his speech.

“That an investigation ought to be conducted over a speech which essentially advocates inclusiveness in a multi-racial and multi-religious society like Malaysia’s is shocking.

“But that such an investigation should be even conceivable under the much touted 1 Malaysia nation of Najib’s administration betrays the hypocrisy and falsity in its avowed mission to foster greater unity among Malaysians.

“I therefore remain resolute in my conviction and steadfast against attempts to cow me into submission to an autocratic and corrupt establishment,” he said in a statement today.

Anwar said that Najib’s administration practiced religious intolerance and double standards when dealing with religious matters particularly during the recent row over Malay-language bibles and the directive to remove Christian symbols during a Christmas function attended by the Prime Minister.

“Malay-language bibles have not been allowed to be brought into Malaysia resulting in thousands of copies being left to rot at the Customs holding.

“Two weeks ago, the Najib government apparently relented by allowing an initial 5,000 copies to be brought in but the offer was attached with so many conditions including stamping them with serial numbers and caveats against dissemination to others apart from Christians, that church leaders have rejected it.

“And in the meantime, the Najib administration continues to ban Christians from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God,” Anwar said.

He added that the administration also practiced selective persecution when punishing Muslims, citing the example of the order to whip a Muslim girl for consuming beer.

“In July 2009, a Muslim single mother was sentenced to be flogged for drinking beer while Muslims from the rich and powerful class continue to imbibe alcohol in exclusive clubs with impunity.

“The double standards cannot be more glaring than the fact that the son of a former Prime Minister continues to hold a substantial stake in one of the largest breweries in Southeast Asia without any molestation from the religious authorities,” he said.

Anwar sarcastically added he was aware it would be “wishful thinking” to expect the government to “acknowledge” the contribution of its political rivals to foster greater cohesiveness among the communities.

“But it would at least be reasonable to expect that such efforts should not be met with punitive responses.

“Thus, I regard this threat to prosecute me for remarks in support of a more inclusive and more tolerant society in a multicultural multi-religious country like Malaysia’s not just as a violation of my constitutional rights, but a great affront to the people,” he said.

Anwar explained that during his speech in London entitled, “Religion and Pluralism in a Divided World”, he had explained that the recognition of Islam as Malaysia’s official religion should not be misinterpreted as being against the spirit of religious pluralism.

He added that history has shown that the belief by certain groups that only their doctrines would lead to salvation had eventually led to violent upheavals and bloodshed.

“This is why the discourse on religious pluralism must deal with the fundamental question of freedom of religion and by association the freedom of conscience.

“In my remarks, I had also made references to Islam and the divisions between Sunnis, Sh’ites and Sufis, Christianity and its denominations, as well as other faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism,” said Anwar.

The former deputy prime minister mocked the local religious authorities for taking offence to his words, pointing out that he had only been advocating mutual respect and tolerance, particularly in a country of such diversity as Malaysia.

“The Religious Affairs Minister (Jamil) has indicated that these remarks were ‘blasphemous’ and had denigrated the status of Islam as the official religion of the country as well as ‘seditious’ in that I was effectively advocating pluralism by encouraging Muslims to view Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions in a more inclusive light,” he said. - Malaysian Insider