I'm not Muslim and not imagining Teresa wearing nothing

I'm not Muslim and not imagining Teresa wearing nothing

S Thayaparan


“An unpleasant nest of nasty, materialistic, and aggressive people, careless of the rights of others, imperfectly democratic at home though quick to see the minor slaveries of others, and greedy without end.”

- Isaac Asimov, author of ‘The Currents of Space’

COMMENT | Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok are examples of how Malaysia is divided into two countries.

The first is where one section of the polity is under religious laws and the second is one where the polity is so superficially unencumbered by the religiosity of the state.

Tiong’s declaration that he is not a Muslim is a reminder, and some would argue thorn in the side, to those elements which desire a theocratic state where all are under religious law regardless of religious affiliation.

Non-Muslims are often told not to trespass or interfere with Islam but this is not a two-way street. It never has been.

Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing


kt comments: I like Minister Tiong - he has guli's. Any spare? Please share with DAP, wakakaka

Keep in mind the sole criterion of the Kedah menteri besar banning number betting shops, for instance, was his religious beliefs which not only infringed upon the rights of non-Malays but also demonstrated how these political operatives would flippantly bypass the Federal Constitution in service of their religious beliefs.

This is the perfect definition of Malay-only human rights, and the fact there has been no pushback from the mainstream political apparatus except a court challenge by DAP is indicative of how easily a citizen’s right could be taken away while so-called moderate Malay political operatives remain silent.

We are dealing with a coalition that has been unshackled by the requirements of multiculturalism or power sharing, which was always a farce anyway, and purely operating on racial and religious imperatives in which they hope to impose majoritarian rule.

Whenever Muslim political operatives attempt to restrict the sale of alcohol in public places, they do so with the clear intention of restricting non-Muslim rights or they sometimes blame tiredness. Remember Edi Rejang. He was the man who bullied a beer promoter.

Poor Edi blamed tiredness for his bad behaviour. Maybe the folks of Kampung Manjoi were tired too. Maybe they were tired of seeing non-Malays enjoying themselves after a hard day’s work with a cold brew, laughing and talking with like-minded citizens.

Maybe they thought that excessive laughter was verboten in Bumi Melayu and it was their job to see that people do not have access to substances which encourage such behaviour.


Told and taught

Think about it. You are told that your race is superior. You are told that your religion is superior. You are told that the other communities should be grateful to exist in your country.

You are told that other cultures are unequal to your culture. You are told that you are allowed to run amok if things do not go your way. You are taught that other races should not intrude into your domains.

You are told that the political system will protect you because nobody wants to spook your race. Is anyone surprised when political operatives who have far more rights, then engage in such behaviour?

The question we as non-Muslims have to ask ourselves is why aren’t Muslim political operatives who are supposed to be allies and defenders of the Constitution not sticking up for the rights of non-Muslims?

Meanwhile, as a woman MP, Kok has to endure the harassment that comes with being a non-Muslim woman in this country and the religious misogyny that comes with that. What do I mean by that?

We do not have to go very far to understand how the religious state has demonised non-Muslim women when it comes to issues like dressing and piety.

We live in a time when petty minions of the state attempt to enforce dress codes in government buildings. We live in a time when political operatives like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang declare that non-Muslims should dress decently to be respected.

The reason why Langkawi MP Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, who is from Perikatan Nasional, made that remark which constitutes harassment in my opinion, is because he does not respect Kok.

If you do not respect someone, an uncivilized person feels he does not have to demonstrate an ounce of courtesy or civility.

There is enough empirical evidence to suggest that many Muslim women face pressure to wear the headscarf, indeed one Malaysiakini columnist related how her college-going daughter was pressured by her female contemporaries to “cover up” but chose to deal with it in her own way.

Some Muslim women do not think it is an obligation to cover up. Liberals are always telling us that covering up is a choice and not an obligation as some Muslims claim.


A country of equals

Non-Muslims are constantly told not to hurt the sensitivities of Muslims in this country. This is why non-Muslims cannot use certain words, cannot construct their places of worship in the manner they choose, cannot proselytise, and lately, cannot hold fellowship with Muslims in certain states because apparently, this would confuse their Muslim brethren.

Yet, we are told we live in a country of equals. We live in a country of equals where a young non-Muslim/non-Malay kid cannot dream of becoming the prime minister because this would spook the Malays.

Non-Muslim communities, although having to struggle, have for the most part overcome the systemic dysfunction against them.

And this has been used against the non-Muslim communities. Our success in the face of systemic discrimination has been weaponised against us.

If we are successful, this is at the expense of the majority of Malays. If we stand up for our rights, which necessarily means everyone’s rights, we are warned not to spook the Malays.

Consider this a response to Malaysiakini columnist Andrew Sia’s piece on Oct 30.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”