MALAYSIA – PM calls country "Islamic state"
06/09/07
Minorities fear restrictions on religious freedom
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi last week declared that Malaysia is an Islamic state, apparently contradicting his 5 August statement that Malaysia is neither a secular nor a theocratic state.
His 27 August declaration came in reply to a question in Parliament from opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, who asked if the cabinet would reaffirm Malaysia as a secular state with Islam as the official religion as per the social contract signed at the formation of the country.
There is a possibility that Abdullah could have meant "Islamic country", as his statement was written in Malay where the words Negara Islam can mean either 'Islamic state', implying the imposition of Islamic law on all citizens, or 'Islamic country', meaning one with a Muslim-majority population.
The prime minister's comment came in the wake of a call by Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim to abolish the use of English common law in the country after 50 years of independence from Britain.
The chief justice made the remark at a seminar on "Ahmad Ibrahim: Thoughts and Knowledge Contribution" on 21 August.
Two days later, Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail was reported in local Malay daily Utusan Malaysia as expressing support for the chief justice's view.
He went on to say shari'a (Islamic) laws are best as they emphasise justice and equal distribution of rights.
Nazri Aziz and Abdullah Zin, who are both ministers in the prime minister's department, agreed with the chief justice's proposal.
Fears of Islamisation
The comments have alarmed non-Muslims, who make up 40 pe rcent of the country's population. Various religious and civil society groups have voiced concerns over what they see as a gradual Islamisation and infringement of minority rights.
Datuk A Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, issued a statement on 23 August saying, "It is wholly unacceptable for any theological law to replace the system of law we have in Malaysia today."
He urged the government to act fairly in safeguarding the interest of all Malaysians in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
The president of the Malaysian Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan, issued a statement saying the council was disturbed by the chief justice's suggestion and that any attempt to dismantle the common law system is a direct attack on the constitution and violates the social contract affirmed at the formation of the country.
"It is a backdoor attempt to rewrite [the Federal Constitution] and to move Malaysia towards becoming a theocratic state," she added.
In a week-long online poll ending on 31 August, 83 per cent of the 513 members of the bar who took part in the poll called on the council to convene an extraordinary general meeting to reaffirm the supremacy of the Federal Constitution and the application of English common law.
The state of religious liberty in the country has been in the limelight ever since 30 May when the outcome of the high-profile case of Lina Joy – a convert from Islam to Christianity who tried unsuccessfully to have the word 'Islam' removed from her identity card – was announced.
Even as the nation celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence from British rule, many local observers wondered if the nation that prides itself as a multi-cultural, multi-religious country whose majority practise a moderate brand of Islam, has room for those who do not profess the Islamic faith.
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