S Thayaparan
Published: Jul 28, 2025 7:32 AM
Updated: 9:32 AM
“The raid was conducted with everyone’s best interests in mind. Our intention was simply to undertake amar makruf and nahi mungkar.”
COMMENT | The inaction of the Madani state in not prosecuting two bigoted preachers and sanctioning (by silence) the actions of the police in Kelantan is evidence that the religious agenda of the state is not defined in Putrajaya.
It is instead determined by state actors independent of the three branches of government, which may be a policy agenda of Madani.
The action of the police in Kelantan is particularly egregious because the top brass continues with the disingenuous narrative that they were disrupting a “gay sex party”, even though the Health Ministry confirmed that this was an event it was involved in.
The Kelantan police continued to say otherwise in defiance of what a federal agency stated, because they understand their actions, which are based on religious dogma, would not be contradicted by the federal agency tasked with ensuring the healthcare of citizens.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman remains silent when all this does is tarnish the state security apparatus’ credibility when it comes to gathering “intelligence”.
Published: Jul 28, 2025 7:32 AM
Updated: 9:32 AM
“The raid was conducted with everyone’s best interests in mind. Our intention was simply to undertake amar makruf and nahi mungkar.”
- Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat,
referring to the Islamic concept of
enjoining good and forbidding wrong.
COMMENT | The inaction of the Madani state in not prosecuting two bigoted preachers and sanctioning (by silence) the actions of the police in Kelantan is evidence that the religious agenda of the state is not defined in Putrajaya.
It is instead determined by state actors independent of the three branches of government, which may be a policy agenda of Madani.
The action of the police in Kelantan is particularly egregious because the top brass continues with the disingenuous narrative that they were disrupting a “gay sex party”, even though the Health Ministry confirmed that this was an event it was involved in.
The Kelantan police continued to say otherwise in defiance of what a federal agency stated, because they understand their actions, which are based on religious dogma, would not be contradicted by the federal agency tasked with ensuring the healthcare of citizens.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman remains silent when all this does is tarnish the state security apparatus’ credibility when it comes to gathering “intelligence”.
A banner outside the ‘gay party’ that Kelantan police raided, indicating that it was a HIV/Aids health outreach programme
The Kelantan police’s top brass continued with their absurd claims that they were acting on credible and actionable intelligence when it came to this raid. The fact that this narrative has been debunked has in no way slowed them down.
The Kelantan police’s top brass continued with their absurd claims that they were acting on credible and actionable intelligence when it came to this raid. The fact that this narrative has been debunked has in no way slowed them down.
Turning blind eye
All this does is bring into disrepute the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the police, especially considering the deviancy of the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) was left unchecked for years.
Keep in mind that the controversial state actor, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin, claimed: “They may not have picked up this case for certain reasons... some were unwilling to take the risk, and others may have viewed it as insignificant.
“Perhaps some of the group’s (GISBH) beliefs are linked to certain individuals involved, or it may be due to other reasons.”
Furthermore, remember the state security apparatus had heard claims that GISBH were engaging in criminal (sexual) activities from members.
Note when the inspector-general of police said, “I urge former GISBH members who lodged police reports before retracting them to come forward and help in investigations.”
So, what can we make of this? The police top brass in Kelantan said not to make this political.
Firstly, Abdul Hadi Awang, the big cheese of PAS, has said that there is no separating religion and politics.
Secondly, the PAS state government has thanked the police for acting the way they did, even though what they did contradicted what a federal agency said about this so-called “gay sex party”.
So this is not only political, but it would seem an action endorsed by Madani. Because Madani has chosen to remain silent, this sets a precedent for the police in all other states to carry out their duties based on religious dogma, as the Kelantan police justified.
Hence, the religious agenda is set by the police and not by the religious bureaucracy, which, by the way, has remained silent or maybe they want the state security apparatus to carry out such actions.
Right in our faces
Now we come to Zamri Vinoth and Firdaus Wong. The state has decided that no action can be taken against the preachers because there is a lack of “evidence”. Remember that the police sent their “investigations” to the attorney-general’s chambers.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) also worked with Zamri in 2017 to give courses in the Tamil language to increase productivity when it comes to proselytising in a multilingual milieu.
Zamri Vinoth
What this course was supposed to do was make it easier for Muslim preachers (state-sanctioned) attempting to convert Indians, using Tamil as an entry point into their lives.
The fact that Zamri reuploaded the post after the state removed it and no action was taken against him is further evidence that when it comes to insulting minorities and their religion, there will always be insufficient evidence for the state to act.
The police, quick to act against perceived insults to the religion of the state, remain lackadaisical when it comes to insults against other religions.
What we are dealing with here are state-sponsored religious provocateurs. We are dealing with people whose aim is to sow discontent in the Indian Malaysian community.
The fact that Zamri continues to be a state actor when it comes to religious discourse should tell us something about the way Madani views other religions.
What this course was supposed to do was make it easier for Muslim preachers (state-sanctioned) attempting to convert Indians, using Tamil as an entry point into their lives.
The fact that Zamri reuploaded the post after the state removed it and no action was taken against him is further evidence that when it comes to insulting minorities and their religion, there will always be insufficient evidence for the state to act.
The police, quick to act against perceived insults to the religion of the state, remain lackadaisical when it comes to insults against other religions.
What we are dealing with here are state-sponsored religious provocateurs. We are dealing with people whose aim is to sow discontent in the Indian Malaysian community.
The fact that Zamri continues to be a state actor when it comes to religious discourse should tell us something about the way Madani views other religions.
Firdaus Wong
We also must ask ourselves why Islamic preacher Firdaus uploaded that video of how to enable minors to lie to their families, subvert religious rituals (prayers in toilets), empower teachers to transmit religious dogma to minors under their tutelage and make it very clear that religious morality trumps legal requirements.
Let us not kid ourselves. In the uploaded video, Firdaus makes it very clear that all this is not theoretical. He admits that he has done this before and the methods he imparts are borne out of practical usage and not something that he thought about on the spur of the moment.
So this argument by the state that there is insufficient evidence is complete horse manure.
They know they are untouchable
Mind you, the “hurt feelings” law is vague enough for people like Zamri and Fridaus to fall foul of, and yet when it comes to these two operatives, the state cannot muster up the requisite righteous outrage to charge them.
With Firdaus, for instance, it is even more telling.
The way the state deals with religious kidnapping or unilateral conversion demonstrates that when it comes to the religion of the state, successive governments have given a free hand to religious provocateurs.
So, a preacher asking children to lie to their parents is not really a big deal.
What do you think Firdaus thinks of all the police reports lodged against him and others of his ilk? Firdaus knows he is untouchable when it comes to the religion of the state.
When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim presided over the conversion of a young man, this signalled to the religious bureaucracy and its emissaries that in-your-face proselytisation was acceptable, no matter the tense religious and racial climate this country was experiencing.
We also must ask ourselves why Islamic preacher Firdaus uploaded that video of how to enable minors to lie to their families, subvert religious rituals (prayers in toilets), empower teachers to transmit religious dogma to minors under their tutelage and make it very clear that religious morality trumps legal requirements.
Let us not kid ourselves. In the uploaded video, Firdaus makes it very clear that all this is not theoretical. He admits that he has done this before and the methods he imparts are borne out of practical usage and not something that he thought about on the spur of the moment.
So this argument by the state that there is insufficient evidence is complete horse manure.
They know they are untouchable
Mind you, the “hurt feelings” law is vague enough for people like Zamri and Fridaus to fall foul of, and yet when it comes to these two operatives, the state cannot muster up the requisite righteous outrage to charge them.
With Firdaus, for instance, it is even more telling.
The way the state deals with religious kidnapping or unilateral conversion demonstrates that when it comes to the religion of the state, successive governments have given a free hand to religious provocateurs.
So, a preacher asking children to lie to their parents is not really a big deal.
What do you think Firdaus thinks of all the police reports lodged against him and others of his ilk? Firdaus knows he is untouchable when it comes to the religion of the state.
When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim presided over the conversion of a young man, this signalled to the religious bureaucracy and its emissaries that in-your-face proselytisation was acceptable, no matter the tense religious and racial climate this country was experiencing.
And where is Jakim in all of this? Where is the prime minister’s religious czar?
The actions of the police in Kelantan and the way the state chooses to enable these two religious preachers tell us everything we need to know about Madani’s religious agenda.
These are the first principles of a theocratic state.
S THAYAPARAN is commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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