In a recent article in a popular news portal writer KT Maran mentioned that “religious teachers” should not invade the realm of politics; they should concern themselves with the spiritual education of the people, adding that while religion concerns matters of the heart, of the spirit, and of morals, politics is occupied with the material things of life.
He further stressed that they should be giving good counsel to men, trying to serve God and humankind as well as endeavour to awaken spiritual aspiration, while striving to enlarge the understanding and knowledge of humanity, to improve morals - and to increase the love for justice!
In fact, remarkably, even in Indonesia which boasts the world’s largest Muslim population, religion did not appear to feature prominently in the campaigning for the recently concluded election.
Yet, here in Malaysia, with its racially diverse population and a host of religions and cultures, things seem to be getting uglier with religion now being freely “weaponised” by politicians joining hands with influential religious figures. This includes the so-called “preachers” and their followers, seeking fame and glory for their own selfish agenda with some seemingly gloating in self-satisfaction while the country burns.
Tragically, recent events have illustrated that this was snowballing into a huge menace threatening the peace and the fragile inter-racial ties in the country; so much so that even the police have warned that they want everyone – including politicians – to stop playing around with sensitive issues related to the 3R (race, religion, and royalty) and to stop instigating!
Things of course came to a head recently when the issue of socks bearing the holy word "Allah" displayed at a KK Mart outlet (and made viral on social media) sparked widespread public outrage leading to calls for a massive boycott campaign; this had eventually resulted in one of the popular convenience store’s outlets in Perak becoming the target of what was believed to be a failed Molotov cocktail attack. Imagine, if it had exploded and severely injured or killed the mainly workers there!
Touching on the matter, in a sombre report the moderate religious group Sisters-in-Islam (SIS), had grimly warned that in the richness of the diverse races and cultures in the country, sinister forces lurk, attempting to unravel the fabric of our society with their warped vision of their religion.
It went on to stress that some, hungry for power and relevance, have shamelessly exploited the recent controversy to portray themselves as champions of their version of the religion – one that stands in stark contrast to its true essence of inclusivity, peace, and justice.
Meanwhile, Khairy Jamaluddin, a former Umno Youth leader, in chiding the current Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, had said that the legal processes are already ongoing and it was time for Muslims to take a step back and reflect on the controversial “socks” issue. He added: “We need to learn from this issue, Muslims need to take a step back. Are we going too far?”
Clearly, that’s the burning question - have the politicians, religious teachers, vigilantes and others gone too far?
Moreover, the incident was not the first - and certainly it won't be the last; remember how some “celebrity” religious teachers have been attacking and even making fun of the local Chinese and their religious beliefs and customs; what about others, including a foreign preacher, known to brazenly insult and hurt the Hindus here - seemingly with impunity?
In fact, probably exasperated with the lack of “political will”, a group of lawyers here had recently called on the authorities for action to be taken against those who have been making inciting statements in the country and indirectly encouraging mob justice!
It further pointed out that potential offences may have been committed under Section 505 (B) and (C) of the Penal Code for making statements that can “cause fear or alarm to any section of the public, cause disturbance against public order, or which incites one community against another.” Haven't some of the boycott proponents been guilty of that?
The bottom line is, shouldn’t all these self-proclaimed “champions of religion” step back and show justice, godly compassion and a spirit of forgiveness instead of shamelessly resorting to bullying and implicitly promoting revenge and violence - all in the name of God? Have they forgotten about divine retribution - and that, whether they like it or not, what they sow they will surely reap? Only a matter of time!
Interestingly, the Star reported last Thursday (March 28) how a Sri Lankan court had sentenced an influential Buddhist monk to four years of hard labour and fined him 300,000 rupees for making disparaging remarks about Islam and hurting the island's Muslim population. This is despite the country being majority Buddhist while Muslims were only the minority there. Perhaps, some food for thought for the authorities here in the context of this country?
Information Source: The Edge and Focus Malaysia
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