Stop mollycoddling Malay-
Muslims, says Kadir Jasin
The ex-adviser to Dr Mahathir Mohamad says it’s the responsibility of every Muslim to nurture their own faith.
In ridiculing the proposed advisory for Muslims, he said even the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, sultans, and prime minister regularly attended events organised by non-Muslim places of worship but were not swayed from Islam.
“Maybe we should all stand down from continuing to mollycoddle the Malay-Muslims. It’s the responsibility of every Muslim to take care of his or her own aqidah (faith).
“A good government creates space for the people. A bad one intrudes and interferes,” he said in a Facebook post.
Kadir also said that he had studied at St Michael’s School in Alor Setar, Kedah, for eight years, where he listened to his Christian friends pray and sing hymns.
The former communications adviser to Dr Mahathir Mohamad added that the crucifix used to be displayed above the blackboard of every classroom at his alma mater, which has since been renamed as SMK St Michael.
“The teachers were of all races and religions. The school’s spiritual leader was a (cleric) titled ‘Brother Supervisor’. The majority of students were Malay boys from the villages. Not a single one of them converted from Islam!
“I attended the church weddings and funerals of my Christian friends, I paid last respects to my non-Muslim friends at their homes and funeral parlours.
“As a student in New Zealand, I stayed at the home of an Anglican priest for two weeks. If those were sins, I seek forgiveness from Allah,” he added.
Kadir said the proposed guidelines should have been discussed by the Cabinet before being disclosed by religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar in a written parliamentary reply.
He also urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to live up to his “Renaissance man” moniker and resolve the issue instead of “pandering to sectarian demands”.
The proposed guidelines will be discussed by the Cabinet today.
Under the proposed rules, there can be no speeches or songs with religious “propaganda” or performances that would insult Muslims, while the premises cannot display the religious symbols of faiths other than Islam.
Organisers would also need to obtain the permission of the relevant authorities, as well as the “views” of Islamic authorities if their event were to involve Muslims.
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kt says:
Though issue is over, it's still worth a read of Pak Kadir's piece
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