Two years ago, when the Mat Kilau movie directed by Syamsul Yusof came out, a lot of tongues were wagging.
You had the urbanites and liberals screaming out loud that the movie carried racial undertones and that it was promoting a very extreme perspective of Malay (and Islamic) nationalism.
Of course, the other side of the spectrum was equally as loud and they saw the movie as a revival of the Malay spirit. I have my own opinions about the movie, which I will not be discussing here.
What I do want to discuss though, is how all the discussion that surrounded Mat Kilau actually left me with some hope for how Malaysian society had matured in its ability to discuss sensitive issues like racism and religion.
Although a lot of the discourse did get heated (just doing an online search for different articles and opinion pieces in the media) I was pleasantly surprised to see everything was left as discourse and debate.
There were no street demonstrations and, more importantly, no violence.
Even the director, who has a reputation for ridiculing critics who gave negative opinions about his films, didn’t respond negatively. Surprisingly, he just let the discourse happen and did not interfere (maybe he is starting to mature too, who knows).
So I took it as a sign that we are progressing and heading in the right direction that will allow us to have civil discourse. Then came the issue of provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment being nullified, and I’m not so sure anymore.
We all know what happened. The Federal Court ruled 16 provisions in the enactment as null and void.
The decision came after a petition by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Tengku Abdul Rahman (who is a lawyer too).
Basically, the Federal Constitution overrules any state when it comes to laws that are already enshrined under it. Nowhere does it say that it is challenging the religion. But again, this is not what I will be discussing here.
It bothers me when I hear that death threats have been made against Nik Elin over her challenge of the provisions.
Provoking negative emotions
What happened to civil discourse and the fact that I thought Malaysian society was maturing? Is there no other avenue to express opinions and thoughts other than the threat of violence? If anything, those who disagree should use this opportunity to explain their point of view rationally, logically, and calmly.
Why should there be a need to stoke the flame with comments and statements that can provoke negative emotions? For example, PAS leaders’ reactions towards the court ruling have been seen to be verging on inflammatory.
They have been constantly saying that this is a challenge towards Islamic law and it would lead to more challenges in other states. But if you look at the real point of the case, it really forces lawmakers to be more careful and detailed when it comes to enacting new laws.
It is not a matter of challenging Islamic laws. It is a matter of human beings wanting to interpret Islamic law without proper knowledge, research, and care. Again, the provisions that were nullified were never said to be wrong. They were nullified because these provisions were already in the Federal Constitution.
Instead of stoking religious sensitivities, concentrate on improving how syariah law can be implemented and also how it can work in harmony with the Federal Constitution.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs, Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, has already made the right move by calling for calm and, more importantly, requesting for the Islamic Development Department and the Syariah Judiciary Department to study the case and come up with ways to improve the Syariah Court.
In his statement, he also assures that the Syariah Court will remain and its position continues to be guaranteed by the provisions in the Federal Constitution.
Civil discourse needed
Recently, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as the chairperson of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs, called for everyone to be calm and respect the court’s decision and the Federal Constitution’s position as the supreme law of the land.
He also said this is an opportunity for the Syariah Court to improve, and he assures everyone that a special committee will conduct thorough research on the competency of state legislative assemblies to enact Islamic laws.
Not only that, he also urged Muslims, and especially religious leaders, to remain calm and composed, and always maintain their manners when voicing out their respective views to avoid confusion.
He added that experts need to provide knowledgeable, insightful, and practical suggestions to facilitate the study being conducted.
He said that religion should not be politicised because it only “results in misunderstanding, animosity, and confusion among Muslims. Enough of fighting in the name of religion.”
Finally, some common sense is being made. I couldn’t agree more. We should not be fighting like stupid people who have no intelligence. We need to have proper civil discourse and come up with thoughts and opinions that are based on learned facts and knowledge.
And there is definitely no place for violence or death threats to be made. We need to be better people and a better society. - Mkini
ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist, and academic. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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