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YOURSAY | ‘Politicians using religion to stay in power to continue their alleged looting…’
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Instead, they allow the use and abuse of religions at expense of the minority races. A very dangerous choice as many of these are irreversible although they may not be seen to be high-risk.
The authorities have failed to address evidence of parochial thinking, including how a female should dress, to the ridiculous idea on giving a rapist a choice to marry his victim.
By ignoring the universal conventions, even on women's rights, the nation runs the risk of being labelled as suppressive. We have now a choice between a devil who is corrupt and a deep blue sea where there is no end to some opinions fit for the dustbin.
Unless the BN government comes to term with it, they may end up losing all: a blissful nation with a peaceful multi-ethnic community.
Determined Sarawakian: More Western organisations should evaluate Malaysia based on the so-called “moderate Islam” and the definition of “moderation” in the Malaysian context.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report (in regards to the Malaysian context), it seems the brand of Islamism in Malaysia is prohibitive and restrictive, bordering on extremism.
It's sad that when then US president Barack Obama was here, he was not feisty enough, like what vice-president Al Gore did to prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad then in reference to Anwar Ibrahim’s detention.
But then, Obama was blinded by the economic importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Vent: I guess the irony hasn't escaped anyone's notice that Malaysia is getting a ticking-off from the US with Donald Trump as the sitting president.
But the reality is that even in the “land of the Great Satan” you can call a spade a spade, trump Trump and yet practice your beliefs freely.
This is how a secular state looks like and feels like, even with an unstable leader like Trump, because the rule of law reigns supreme.
Tony Soprano: Vent, you are right. Moreover, in the US, the rule of law - the First Amendment of its Constitution - also guarantees freedom from religion if individuals so desire.
Freedom of speech includes the right not only to criticise but even insult any religion in public (but it's still bad form to do it face-to-face). How else can critical thinking about religion evolve?
The Catholic Church has been exposed and excoriated for its appalling backwardness and child abuse by priests.
Jerry Falwell's Christian fundamentalist, anti-science Liberty University is a laughing stock because its museum allegedly includes dinosaur fossils labelled, "These creatures lived on Earth 5,000 years ago."
So Muslims need to get over the idea that they are somehow exempt from criticism or have special privileges.
RR: The principle is the same for all nations. Don't discriminate against race and religion in running a democratic country (this includes the US).
There should be no question that racial or religious supremacy should not be installed in any country if we want peace in this world. All extremist political parties should be deregistered, and extremists and fanatics rehabilitated.
Flabbergasted Malaysian: We will be watching the same wayang soon. They will be saying others have no right to make demands, others are showing disrespect, they demand an apology, others are belittling them, etc. Same story.
If only they take time to analyse what went wrong, so much so that others are making such remarks over and over again.
Instead of putting the blame on others and crying foul, perhaps it might do them a lot of good if they admit to that and declare they are doing all they can to advance the nation.
But this remains only in my dreams. It's not going to happen.
Ex-PJ: Politicians using religion to stay in power to continue their alleged looting, combined with an easily-misled Muslim electorate, has led to this current situation.
Krissman: Add to the mix rampant corruption, and we have another failed state in the making, and a Muslim-majority one too. What a surprise.
What’s the difference between a communist country and one that does not let freedom of choice prevail, be it religious or otherwise?
Where have all our tolerant, moderate Malay friends of the 70s and 80s gone?
ZhuGeLiang: Lebanon and Turkey are two good examples of what religious extremism can do to a country, irrespective of which religion.
Of course, one can say it is the wish of the "majority" but if so, why is there a need for Erdogan, who is the president of Turkey, to change the constitution of Turkey so that he can have absolute power?
I just hope the government will not abandon its policies of moderation that has served the country so well for the past 60 years.
Dizzer: Of course, the article and its comments are fair and true, but let's not randomly excoriate the Malays.
They are the real victims (willing or not) of this creeping Islamisation - “mind-forged manacles”, according to the late Christopher Hitchens.
It's as if some committee sat down and thought, “How can we ruin an entire race? I know, we'll make them wholly dependent on government largesse, tell them they're superior, and then pump them full of religion so that they can't function independently in the modern world.”
Sad (as Trump might say).- Mkini
There is no religious freedom in Malaysia! All Malays have to be Muslim. That's not religious "freedom".
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