Prison Should Be The Place For Preachers Who Demonise Religions

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Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, through his senior press secretary Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, said certain parties with vested interests have made sinister attempts to create a perception of a “double standard” regarding actions taken against anyone who insults any religion in Malaysia.
Anyone who insults any religion in Malaysia will be investigated and prosecuted, he said.
Reminding all parties to refrain from taking advantage of current issues involving religious mockery further to incite racial sentiments or sow seeds of hatred, he rolled out a series of instances where action had been taken.
These comments were related to a video clip in which three Era FM DJs demeaned Hinduism in a video clip.
“This serves as a firm message to all Malaysians to put an end to the culture of insulting any religion, culture, or race in any space within Malaysia,” said Nashrul.
Yes, there have been warnings, firm warnings and severe warnings. Yes, there have been threats to take action, stern action, and severe action. But it would be fair to state the obvious - different strokes for different people.
In April last year, more than 70 NGOs submitted a memorandum to the then attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh which among others, read: “The actions of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) portray that as if those who are convicted and insulting Islam are punished and imprisoned while those who insult the religion and belief of the helpless non-Muslim minorities are allowed to enjoy legal immunity.”
Those touching on Islam are dealt with differently. And this is only part of the story. There has been a sort of reluctance to go against Muslims who demean other religions. Has action been taken against preachers who make derogatory remarks against other faiths?
Islamic preachers Zamri Vinoth, Firdaus Wong and Zakir Naik are standing monuments of the double standards applied by the AGC and the police.
It also gives the impression that inaction against those demonising other religions is an irrevocable passport to continue doing so.
Previous cases
Over the years, religious groups and many preachers have been named in civil suits seeking court orders to compel the AGC to prosecute them.
Despite hundreds of reports, no action was taken despite the complainants providing evidence - the police or AGC took their Facebook postings and video recordings but no action.”
In September 2019, in a letter to the Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia Association signed by then solicitor-general Hanafiah Zakaria, the AGC had stated it would not pursue a complaint against Zamri for his speech at a mosque in Kelantan in December the previous year, where he allegedly belittled Hinduism.
Muslim preachers Zamri Vinoth (left) and Firdaus WongIn April 2021, appearing on behalf of the AGC, deputy public prosecutor Ainul Amirah said the AGC was unwilling to prosecute Perlis-based preacher Zamri and Multiracial Reverted Muslims founder and president Firdaus as police had classified their cases as “no further action”.
I wrote: “But part of the blame for the surge of such statements should fall on the police and to a certain extent, the AGC.
“This is because both these organisations have declared in court proceedings that they had no plans to prosecute two people who were reported to have made provocative statements.”
In October 2022, the leaders of four civil society groups and a Sarawak-based political party sought a judicial review over the failure of law enforcement agencies to act against a Muslim preacher for allegedly making inflammatory remarks against other religions in two videos.
The five want the Kuala Lumpur High Court to issue an order of certiorari to quash the police and attorney-general's decision to refuse to act against Syakir Nasoha for remarks made at a mosque in Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani which were captured in a video.
Last April, the Federal Court dismissed an application by two activists seeking leave to challenge the attorney-general’s decision not to prosecute preachers Zamri and Firdaus for allegedly insulting Hindus.
A three-member panel of judges comprising Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal, Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera dismissed the application for leave brought by S Sivakumar and M Rajasegaran.
In their application, they sought to declare the AG’s decision not to charge the Muslim converts (Zamri and Firdaus), as recorded in the Shah Alam Magistrates’ Court on April 26, 2021, invalid and void.
They also sought a mandamus order to compel the AG to institute criminal proceedings against the preachers but were unsuccessful.
So, will these files be reopened and proper investigations be carried out?
Zamri enters the fray again
Three days after Era FM DJs stirred controversy by mocking a Thaipusam ritual, Zamri entered the fray again by claiming that Hindus chanting “vel vel” is akin to individuals who are possessed or intoxicated.
The three Era FM DJs who stirred controversy for mocking a Thaipusam ritualIn a Facebook post, he wrote: “Many Hindus themselves chant ‘vel vel’ while dancing like people possessed and drunk on toddy, but you don’t say that’s disrespectful.
“What you do is what others see and follow, but when others follow what you do, suddenly you get angry?
“If you’re angry next time, don’t do things that set a bad example for others! If you want to do it anyway, don’t get angry. So, choose one...,” he said on social media.
In an immediate response, former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Ramkarpal Singh said: “The insults and mocking of the Hindu religion by Zamri in a recent social media post must be condemned and investigations with a view to prosecute him should commence without any delay.
“A failure to do so will likely result in him creating further unrest and tensions between communities of different religious beliefs in this country.
"There can be no doubt that Zamri’s comments on his post, in which he touched on the Hindu practice of carrying the kavadi during Thaipusam are grossly irresponsible and insensitive,” Ramkarpal said.
Will there be action?
So, will there be action or will the powers that be waver despite Anwar’s bold words? Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail maintains that there is no favouritism or double standards by the police in investigating cases related to race, religion, and royalty.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution IsmailSaifuddin reaffirmed that there has never been bias in handling 3R cases, as prosecutions depend on the duration of investigations following a complaint.
Really? Why then were the cases mentioned above not investigated and prosecuted?
Is this chest-thumping rhetoric? If a deputy public prosecutor can state in open court that “the AGC was unwilling to prosecute”, how else do members of the public view the matter?
Zakir and Zamri will continue spewing hatred and perhaps files will be opened to placate the public with no intention of prosecuting them because the fight to show whose shade of green shines brighter takes precedence. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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