INSULTING RELIGION AND INSTITUTIONS - I HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW (FOR FRIDAY NOTES FROM THE QURAN 14/3/2025)

 

OutSyed The Box

Thursday, March 13, 2025

INSULTING RELIGION AND INSTITUTIONS - I HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW (FOR FRIDAY NOTES FROM THE QURAN 14/3/2025)

Which is exactly why you cannot find any punishment at all in the Quran for insulting anything, especially 'religion'. There are no such things in the Quran. If they insult you the Quran says just ignore them.

 

This is a long post but I hope everyone will read this - Muslims as well as non-Muslims. Friday is tomorrow, I am a day early.

 

Of course it cannot be denied that there are some nasty characters trying to whip up emotions and hatreds in the land. The IGP says 894 Police reports have been lodged. If there are 106 more Police reports, then it will become an even 1,000.  Maybe 1,000 Police reports would make the doors creak.

My friend Norman Fernandez sent me some notes about the Kanun Keseksaan (Penal Code) that deals with this matter.

Pada 17 Julai 2020, Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur mensabitkan D---y A----i atas kesalahan menyiarkan dalam Facebooknya kenyataan menghina Nabi Muhammad dan Islam yang boleh mengancam keharmonian antara orang Islam dan bukan Islam. Tertuduh telah disabitkan dengan kesalahan mengikut Seksyen 298A Kanun Keseksaan dan S.233 (1)(a) Akta Multimedia dan Komunikasi. Mahkamah kemudian telah menjatuhkan hukuman penjara 26 bulan.

Di bawah Seksyen 298, Mahkamah boleh mengenakan penjara tidak lebih dari 2 tahun atau denda atau kedua-dua hukuman.

So someone was sent to jail for insulting Islam. The relevant laws were Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 (1)(a) of the Multimedia Act.

• My view is this whole thing is silly, childish, immature and way behind time. 
• We are really outdated and backward.

Insulting religion? Where is or was the insult felt or recorded by that religion?  Lets say I "insult" some religion.  Just for the sake of argument, lets pick a 'safe' one - Judaism.   Let me say 'Judaism is just schmuck'. So was that an insult? Did Judaism feel insulted? How and where exactly did Judaism feel the insult? Is there a huge Temple of Judaism somewhere in Israel or in Jerusalem which has a huge red light which starts flashing each time someone "insults" Judaism? The answer is NO. You cannot insult any religion. It is only the adherents of Judaism who may "feel" insulted. Judaism itself cannot be insulted. This applies for all religions.

Lets be honest - you are not insulting religion. You are dealing with the people who may feel personally insulted. Because it is their personal religious beliefs that are involved. The people personally felt insulted. Therefore it is deemed a "criminal offence" and punishable by State sanctioned violence (arrest, handcuffed, charged in Court, forcibly imprisoned, fined etc). Just because some people with very thin skins felt insulted. 

Now here is a very short video. I will not upload it here (to avoid being accused of you know what). I will just provide the URL and if you wish you can copy paste  and watch it yourself. https://youtube.com/shorts/7CTtY3tJsFM?si=8MhXl3jiaIpgHDG-

The video features the Australian-Indian stand up comedian Nazeem Hussain who has a YouTube Channel called 'Legally Brown'. This is a funny guy. He also makes video skits titled Uncle Sam on the Streets.  

1. If you watch the video some of you may say it is funny. 
2. Some of you may say no it is not funny. 
3. Some of you may say it insults Islam. 
4. Some of you may say no it does not insult Islam. 
5. Some of you may further say that he should be punished as a criminal.
6. Some of you may say yes it is insulting but no it is not necessary to punish him.
   

You can organise an international conference to debate just the points 1 to 6 above. People can debate points 1 to 6 for a whole week and still not agree on what to do about Nazeem Hussain. The debate can go on forever. 

• This proves the point (yes it does) that insult is personal. 
• A religion cannot be insulted. 
• Only the believers can personally feel insulted, subject to points 1 to 6 above. 
• Because some believers may not feel insulted. 
• Some believers may say punish him. 
• Others may say no need to punish him. 
• And on and on.
  

Like in the two other real life examples above. The non-Muslim fellow who 'insulted' Islam was jailed for 26 months. I think that was excessive. In the other case, where the Muslim fellow is accused of insulting Hinduism, the IGP says 894 Police reports have been made, yet no prosecution has been initiated against the fellow. Maybe it was not insulting enough. 

One man's meat is another man's poison. 

Likewise one man's free speech is another man's insult.

So, insulting or not insulting? Yes or no? Agree or disagree? You can debate these things until the cows come home.

The other point is that with the advent of the Internet and Social Media, these 'insulting religion' laws have become redundant or futile. They are quite useless. When the law criminalises something, then immediately the purpose of that law is to curb and eradicate that crime. For example stealing is a crime. Laws that criminalise stealing are designed to curb and eradicate stealing.  

But what is the point of criminalising 'insulting religion' - especially on Social Media - when Nazeem Hussain can still upload his comedy skits from Australia which is outside our legal jurisdiction but can still be accessed 24/7 by anyone in Malaysia?  Nazeem Hussain the comedian from Australia may have thousands of viewers inside Malaysia.

So Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 (1)(a) of the Multimedia Act cannot and do not curb or prevent "insulting" religion on Social Media entirely. It merely discriminates against the geographical location of where the "insult" was posted. If it was posted at a local Malaysian URL then someone can go to jail. If it was posted at a foreign URL (from Australia) the law cannot do anything.  

But the "crime" is still present, prevalent and repeated in Malaysia. Nothing has been done to curb or prevent this crime from being posted on "global" Social Media which is available online in Malaysia. So the purpose of these laws ie to curb or prevent insults to religion (on Social Media) cannot be achieved at all. They are a waste of time. 

And they become unjust laws because access to the Internet is under the purview of the government - who are also the keepers of the law. Insults from Malaysia are criminalised, insults from overseas are not disallowed. What kind of justice is that? 

If someone becomes violent or aggressive towards other people on account of "he insulted my religion' there are other criminal laws that can deal with that. If you punched someone you should go to jail. What was the reason for you to punch another person who was of no threat to you  is not relevant.

So here is my view - we cannot criminalise this thing called "insulting".  There cannot be any such crime as 'insulting' something or insulting someone.  That is really Third World level thinking. Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 (1)(a) of the Multimedia Act should be abolished.

Now lets look at the Quran. The Quran as always is so far super advanced ahead of anyone else. Bear in mind that this is a 1,400 year old document.

Here is Sura 33:48   وَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَدَعْ أَذَىٰهُمْ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَكِيلًۭا 

 Here are six translations of this verse:

1. Pickthal    And incline not to the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Disregard their noxious talk, and put thy trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee.
2. Arberry    And obey not the unbelievers and the hypocrites; heed not their hurt, but put thy trust in God; God suffices as a guardian.
3. Shakir    And be not compliant to the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and leave unregarded their annoying talk, and rely on Allah; and Allah is sufficient as a Protector.
4. Free Minds    And do not obey the rejecters and the hypocrites, and ignore their insults, and put your trust in God; God suffices as an advocate.
5. Qaribullah     Do not obey the unbelievers and the hypocrites, pay no attention to their hurt. Put your trust in Allah; Allah suffices as a Guardian.
6. Shabbir Ahemd**    And heed not the rejecters and the hypocrites. Disregard their insults, and put your trust in Allah. Allah is Sufficient as Guardian.

So if the Muslims hear insults, noxious talk, hurtful speech, annoying talk from the disbelievers and hypocrites just disregard them, pay no heed to them, leave unregarded, ignore them, pay no attention.

This is what the Quran says. And the Quran is the teaching of the Messenger. Should Muslims believe in the Quran or not?

Nowhere does the Quran say go and arrest them, handcuff them, put them in jail for 26 months bla bla because they "insulted Islam".

Here is another verse Surah 3:111 (part).

Surah 3:111      لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّآ أَذًۭى ۖ 

Here are five translations of this verse:

1. Yusuf Ali    They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance
2. Pickthal    They will not harm you save a trifling hurt
3. Arberry    They will not harm you, except a little hurt
4. H/K/Saheeh    They will not harm you except for [some] annoyance
5. Free Minds    They will not harm you except in being an annoyance

Other than annoyance and a trifling hurt - an irritation - they cannot cause you any bodily harm. You do not throw people in jail just because they annoy you or because they irritate you.

Which is exactly why you cannot find any punishment at all in the Quran for insulting anything, especially 'religion'. There are no such things in the Quran. If they insult you the Quran says just ignore them.

And here is some advice from the Quran for some of those annoying characters in our country who have indeed been going around insulting the Hindus, Christians and others.

Surah 16:125

ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَـٰدِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۖ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ ١٢٥
 

Surah 16:125 Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided.

Surah 6:108    وَلَا تَسُبُّوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَدْوًۢا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ١٠٨ 

Surah 6:108 ˹O believers!˺ Do not insult what they invoke besides Allah or they will insult Allah spitefully out of ignorance. This is how We have made each people’s deeds appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.

If you are a preacher and you like to insult Muslims, you must have a low IQ or no IQ to think that the Muslims will still like you and your religion.

If you are a preacher and you like to insult the non-Muslims, you must have a low IQ or no IQ to think that the non-Muslims will still like you and your religion. 

You can nominate me for the Nobel Peace Prize later. There is no hurry.