KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has backtracked from a controversial proposal to issue guidelines for Muslims who want to participate in non-Muslim events, saying his Cabinet has scrapped the idea following fierce backlash from various groups.
“There is no need (for the guidelines) because as Muslims they should know” the dos and don’ts, Datuk Seri Anwar said on Feb 7, following the weekly Cabinet meeting.
“Like right now, I’m here not to participate in any (Hindu) prayers,” he told reporters as he visited the famous temple at Batu Caves in Selangor state, ahead of the Feb 11 Thaipusam celebration in the country.
The controversy had erupted after de facto Islamic Affairs Minister Na’im Mokhtar, in a written reply to Parliament on Feb 4, said the government was finalising new guidelines for Muslims attending events or celebrations held by non-Muslims, including those being held in non-Muslim houses of worship, such as weddings and funerals.
Among others, event organisers would have to seek permission from the authorities and advice from the Islamic authorities if the event includes Muslims, Datuk Naim told Parliament.
These events, too, must not contain elements that could offend Muslim sensitivities such as speeches or songs with religious content, or mock Islamic beliefs, he added.
The proposal led to a fierce public backlash, with Mr Na’im saying on Feb 6 that the guidelines were still under review.
He is a former chief judge of Malaysia’s Syariah Court, and is currently minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs.
Critics accuse the Anwar administration of overreaching, saying that such guidelines would undermine personal religious responsibility and interfere with Malaysia’s longstanding interfaith harmony.
“For centuries, we have lived and intermingled harmoniously. Muslims are well aware of the dos and don’ts of their religion – there is no need for external dictates on our behaviour,” said former Cabinet minister Rafidah Aziz.
“We are not ignorant, our iman (faith) so weak, to have supervision,” she was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news website on Feb 7.
Just before Mr Anwar’s Feb 7 announcement, Mr Na’im, in a joint statement with National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang, said the matter has caused confusion among Malaysians.
“The Cabinet has agreed that Jakim may provide advice to Muslims on the need to safeguard their faith on this issue, but this advice is not official policy,” it added.
Jakim, the Islamic Development Department, is a powerful federal agency under the Prime Minister’s Department that administers Islamic affairs.
“The Cabinet also emphasised that any policy formulated must take national unity into account and receive prior approval from the Cabinet,” said the joint statement.
It explained that the issue arose following several inquiries from Muslims regarding invitations to events held by non-Muslims, and that Jakim had “taken the initiative to develop the guidelines”.
The statement noted that an interfaith harmony committee, comprising 24 representatives from various faiths, would further discuss the matter when it meets in February.
Veteran journalist A. Kadir Jasin said on Facebook on Feb 7 that even the royal rulers and Malaysia’s prime ministers “regularly and openly participate in events organised by adherents of other religions”.
“It’s the responsibility of every Muslim to take care of his or her own aqidah (Islamic creed). A good government creates space for the people. A bad one intrudes and interferes.”
Housewife Iris Sivakumar, a Christian, told The Straits Times: “These new rules are insulting, and it is as if their faith is so fragile that it can’t stand a prayer, a song or religious ceremonies in other houses of worship.”
This is not the first time that the two-year-old government is getting flak over its stance on Islamic issues.
The Anwar administration is trying to push through what is called a “Mufti Bill” amid opposition from legal experts and leading figures such as Perlis Mufti Asri Zainul Abidin and the Sultan of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail.
The Bill is seen as expanding the powers of the mufti of the Federal Territories (FT) – the top Islamic leader in charge of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – to enshrine religious edicts into law. The Bill was introduced in Parliament in July 2024.
Critics worry that the move would allow the FT mufti to make laws that would later be applicable to all of Malaysia’s 13 states, thus infringing on individual freedom and diversity.
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