JAKIM Control Freaks

Published with permission from Dr Bakri Musa:

Bakri Musa

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JAKIM Control Freaks



Islam is a great and resilient faith. It had withstood the deep irreversible internal dissensions early in its formation as with the 7th Century CE Sunni/Shiite split. It also survived the near-existential external challenges of the 13th Century CE Mongol invasion. Instead, the Mongols became Muslims. Meaning, Islam does not need any defending, least of all by those control freaks at JAKIM (the acronym for the Malaysian government Islamic agency).

The latest attempt by JAKIM to “defend” Islam was the statement on February 5, 2025 in Parliament by Naim Mokthar, Religious Affairs Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. It would have non-Muslim entities get JAKIM’s prior approval and conform with its guidelines when inviting Muslims for “festive events, funerals, or events held in non-Muslim houses of worship.”

The Ministry of “Religious Affairs” itself has an Orwellian odor to its tag. That Ministry deals only with Islam. To be precise, the worldly affairs of Malaysian Muslims. In reality JAKIM is but a massive and expensive bureaucracy to control the thoughts and activities of Malaysian Muslims. To the minions in JAKIM, Malaysian Muslims are but a fragile infantile lot. As such their iman (faith) could easily be disturbed if they were to attend Christmas or Chinese New Year Celebrations of their friends, colleagues, and neighbors, sans guidance from JAKIM.

As per Sisters-In-Islam, this latest guideline is yet another attempt “to control and segregate, not to promote harmony.” Segregate definitely; control? JAKIM has minimal and fast receding influence among Malays. If indeed JAKIM has any influence left, I would rather that the agency uses it to instill the fear of Allah on our corrupt leaders and those patronizing gambling premises.

JAKIM is but a vast public works program for the glut of otherwise unemployable Malays qualified in Islamic Studies. Imagine the massive expansion of bureaus and personnel if JAKIM had to review and approve every application for a Malay to be invited to a Christmas party. Great job security initiative!

I am glad that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had jettisoned that idiotic idea of his Religious Affairs Minister. Anwar should go further and adopt a Trumpian posture. Shutter that whole Ministry and dump its Minister. That guideline proposal should not have had a cabinet hearing in the first place.

Think of the huge lost opportunity costs. Had the billions spent on JAKIM been used to fund the dredging of silted rivers, imagine the good that would do in reducing floods. Likewise, if channeled to modernize kampung schools and providing free meals. Those children would then be more likely to attend school.

Then imagine if those JAKIM bureaucrats were to be forced out of their offices and made to control traffic outside mosques during Friday prayers. Or clean streets and public parks. I do not know whether they would garner enough pahala (religious brownie points) to enter Paradise and get their share of promised virgins, but this much would be certain. The streets and parks would definitely be cleaner. And that would benefit all.

The present Agung, Sultan Ibrahim of Johore, once questioned why his state JAKIM’s equivalent needed billions every year. No answer. Now that he is Agung, he should repeat that query to Prime Minister Anwar.

JAKIM’s guidelines were proposed on the eve of what would have been Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s 100th birthday. In his autobiographical short story “Sunat” (Circumcision), Pram made the pointed observation that rituals do not make one a good Muslim, or even feel like one. Instead, the appalling poverty and abject deprivation that he saw in his village and among fellow villagers only confirmed our forefathers’ wisdom: kemiskinan mendakti kefukuran (poverty invites impiety).

Poverty is the greatest impediment to our entering Paradise, the Qur’anic version as well as the earthly variety. Ameliorate poverty and you reduce impiety. It is no accident that spousal abuses, abandoned children, drug abuse and other “sins” are rampant in Kelantan despite it being the most “Islamic” state. JAKIM with its silly obsession on these guidelines only diverts us from solving this core intractable problem of Malay poverty.

The Qur’an’s central injunction is “Command good; forbid evil.” The rest are but commentaries and elaborations. Those who think that strengthening intercommunal bonds by participating in each other’s festivities as not commanding good, or view the proposed JAKIM guidelines as forbidding evil, have no place in plural Malaysia.

By rejecting his Religious Minister’s idiotic proposal, Prime Minister Anwar has demonstrated that his Madani government is also a Muhibbah (goodwill) one. Anwar is the only leader who can stand up to these misguided Islamists in and out of government. As such he needs to go further. Characters of Naim Mokthar’s persuasion have no place in a plural society, much less be in Anwar’s cabinet. Firing Naim would send a clear strong signal to the other ministers not to toy with similar dangerous cockeyed ideas.

This latest controversy rekindles ugly memories of earlier ones, as with the puerile and divisive issue on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims. Anwar owes Malaysians now and in the future that such divisive issues will never arise again.

Anwar must not risk leaving a Tito-like legacy. Tito managed to keep the ancient tribal savage instincts of the inhabitants of the old Yugoslavia at bay. However, once he was gone Milosevic and his ethnic cleansing barbarism of his tribe emerged with a vengeance. Anwar owes Malaysia a solemn duty not to have a future local Milosevic emerge. Hence the need to purge, and do so early, the likes of Naim Mokhtar.