Colourful celebration: Visitors at the annual Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple CNY Lantern and Floral Festival in Jenjarom, Selangor. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
IT’S good that the Cabinet has put its foot down and said no to the proposed guidelines for the involvement of Muslims at non-Muslim events. Had they been adopted, approval from religious authorities to attend funerals and celebrations would be required, among other things.
The statement by the Prime Minister was clear: There is no need for guidelines for Muslims visiting non-Muslim houses of worship or events.
He stated that Muslims are already aware of religious guidelines for visiting these sites, particularly about not participating in non-Muslim prayers.
And Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim chose to emphasise his point by visiting Batu Caves Temple on Friday, ahead of the Thaipusam celebrations there on Tuesday.
An earlier joint statement by Senator Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar and Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Dagang was not explicit enough, although they had spelt out that the guidelines are advisory in nature and not policy.
The Cabinet had decided every policy formulated must consider national unity, and must first get its approval.
In short, without saying more, Na’im’s proposed guidelines have been canned. While there was some good advice given to ensure no religious sensitivity complications, there were also impractical guidelines that, unfortunately, led to a backlash.
This is the second gaffe that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) has made that put the Madani government in an awkward position.
Barely five months ago, the Cabinet rejected a proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork or alcohol following Jakim’s idea of making halal certification a requirement for these restaurants. Jakim is the federal government agency that administers Islamic affairs in Malaysia.
The proposal, which was also announced by Na’im, led to an uproar, with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi having to step in to say that non-Muslim business operators could not and should not be forced to obtain halal certification.
In both cases, Anwar ended up on the receiving end of criticisms, which is unfair since this was a minister’s oversight that had nothing to do with the PM.
Many even think that Na’im is a PKR Member of Parliament when in actual fact he is a senator and not even a PKR member. Worse, it was as though the proposal came from the PM and his government.
Na’im’s blunders have been politically damaging to the PM and the Madani government, as many ordinary citizens do not understand that all religious matters are under the purview of the Rulers. The PM has no power or authority to decide on the proposals made by Na’im in the first place.
When Na’im was appointed the Minister for Religious Affairs by the PM in 2022, there was a sense of relief.
It was felt that the post should be held by a non-politician, and a legal scholar with impeccable credentials.
Na’im is a former lecturer, lawyer, and Syariah Court judge who studied at the International Islamic University before obtaining a Masters in Law from the University of London, and a PhD in Syariah from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
He has also been a visiting fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at Oxford University and at Harvard Law School.
Na’im was a refreshing change from the previous person in the post, PAS ideologue Idris Ahmad who was known for hardline views. The Terengganu MP had consistently pushed for hudud laws and the setting up of an Islamic State.
His objections against the staging of the Japanese cultural festival Bon Odori in 2022 earned him a rebuke from His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who warned him not to use Jakim to make “confusing and inaccurate statements’’.
It is understood that the Rulers welcomed the appointment of Na’im as they, too, had lost their trust in a politician minister for religious affairs.
They believed Na’im would be able to bring forward the religious agenda in the context of modern Malaysia.
But instead, he has been placing the Madani government in difficult spots because of his premature statements.
Last week, he announced the proposed guidelines aimed at outlining the participation of Muslims at non-Muslims events, including celebrations. Under the guidelines, there can be no songs or speeches with religious “propaganda” or performances that may insult Muslims.
Organisers of these events would have to seek permission from relevant authorities and the views of Islamic agencies when inviting Muslims for events at a non-Muslim house of worship.
Questions were immediately raised about whether Muslims, including MPs, could pay their last respects at funeral homes or places of worship as a result of such guidelines.
In fact, there are many non-Muslims who have close family members who are Muslims, so this certainly caused confusion.
Do lawmakers then need to get approval from religious authorities to attend Christmas functions or Thaipusam, a Hindu religious affair, and can they approve such requests in the first place?
The guidelines also specified that the events must not be held too close to a surau, mosque, Muslim cemetery, or wakaf (endowment) land, and that the premises should not contain non-Islamic religious symbols.
In his written reply to PAS MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamed Jan (Permatang Pauh-PN), Na’im said the guidelines were being updated to prevent incidents which could touch on the sensitivities of Muslims.
Certainly, his intentions seem good and aimed at preventing any untoward incidents, particularly involving the Islamic faith, but Na’im had obviously not thought the guidelines through as Malaysia is a multiracial and multi-religious country.
Perhaps he is not politically savvy, or has forgotten that the Madani government is not a PAS government.
But the question is why was there a need for Na’im to provide so many details – all of which are merely proposed – to an MP from the Opposition when the guidelines have not even been finalised at the Majlis Kebangsaan Islam (MKI) meeting scheduled to be held between Feb 25 and Feb 27.
The MKI, or National Council for Islamic Affairs, is chaired by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Raja Azlan Shah.
By his own admission, Na’im reportedly said, “These guidelines are still being deliberated with the engagement of the relevant Islamic authorities that include the State Islamic Religious Councils”.
Following the backlash, Na’im appealed to all quarters not to create misunderstandings by polemicising this issue “to the point of causing public unrest because the underlying purpose of developing these guidelines is noble’’.
Certainly, many of these proposals would be respected by Malaysians of all faiths, but some need further deliberation for practical reasons.
While Na’im has repeatedly said these are proposed guidelines, many have interpreted that to mean these are proposed laws, although guidelines are only advisory in nature. These are serious religious matters.
The most pressing question is whether our leaders, including officials and ministers, are aligned with the Prime Minister’s principles and the vision of the Madani government.
If not, they should leave honourably and join the Opposition.
Over the weekend, Anwar set up good optics by visiting Batu Caves, while last night, the Sultan of Selangor attended a Chinese New Year celebration at the Fo Guan Shan Dong Zen Temple in Klang.
These are positive signs for Malaysia and surely speak volumes for national unity even as some attempt to put up stumbling blocks.
