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Inter-religious meet in Malaysia marred by Muslim groups' boycott |
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Written by Yap Mun Ching
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Sunday, 29 June 2003 |
The Bar Council has made key resolutions to set up a long-delayed initiative for an inter-religious council despite several setbacks last month over a boycott by Muslim groups.
At a workshop titled ‘Towards the Formation of an Inter-Religious Council’ last month, some 100 participants agreed that there is a need for the formation of a statutory body whose primary objective is to advance an individual’s freedom to thought, conscience and religion.
However, due to internal disagreement, several prominent Muslim groups, including the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim), Sisters-in-Islam (SIS) and Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), withdrew their participation.
It is learnt that the event was also boycotted by International Movement for a Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, who was initially a co-chair of the workshop.
Unfounded fears
Bar Council Human Rights Sub-Committee chairperson Cecil Rajendra said the organisers to the project have been facing problems since the plan for the council came about two years ago.
"We have had problems for the last two years getting everyone to agree on all the points (for the setting up of the council). I hope they will realise that it was foolish of them to pull out of the workshop. Their fears were also completely unfounded," he said when contacted today.
According to the points of agreement arising from the workshop, the participants said the statutory body should be an independent body of a consultative and advisory nature.
The participants also resolved for a steering committee to be set up for the purpose of convening a national conference to further the aims of the workshop.
Among its proposed functions, the inter-religious council should work to identify values and ethical standards universal to all religions and faiths so as to promote national harmony and unity.
The body should also receive complaints and make recommendations to address complaints by individuals, bodies or organisations in relation to their right to profess or practise their religion of choice.
Public participation
Elaborating, a participant to the workshop, academician Dr Patricia Martinez, said the inter-religious council should seek solutions to issues involving religion which are not clearly dealt with under the law.
"Islam is represented by the state but as for non-Muslim groups, they often do not know where to go for redress in cases which do not clearly fall under the legal ambit. The council will channel their problems to the appropriate authority or organisation," she said.
"Although some groups have decided not to participate, it is hoped that participation can be widened to other groups and individuals. A national convention will be held where everyone will be invited to come," she added.
A significant blow to the success of the workshop has been the decision by 15 Islamic non-government organisations to withdraw from participating.
In an article titled "Beware: Islam Under Threat in Malaysia" which was published in Harakah in February, the Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs, a coalition of 14 groups, said they would boycott any attempt by the Bar Council to form an inter-religious council.
The Bar Council workshop was initially scheduled to be held in February but later postponed to May.
"(Such a) statutory body would be empowered to alter the teachings of Islam for the convenience of non-Muslims and even to the extent of allowing Muslims the wish to renounce their religion," said these groups, with the support of the Bar Council Syariah Committee.
MCCBCHS points
The groups said the inter-religious council could also work based on the points raised by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) in a memorandum to the Bar Council earlier which listed out several issues they wanted addressed.
The points raised by the MCCBCHS dealt with religious freedom of all individuals, including Muslims.
However, the Muslim groups objected strongly to this, saying that it is unconstitutional for Muslims to renounce their religion.
"This is what the non-Muslims and the non-mainstream Muslims are asking for now - the right to propagate the other religions to Muslims - a right which non-Muslims do not have under the constitution," said the Muslim groups.
Although the statement had named Chandra and Sisters in Islam as among the proponents of the council, these two parties later reverted their stand and withdrew from the initiative as well.
The Bar Council, in a statement, refuted these claims, saying that the initiative for the inter-religious council had been conceived from views collected at a forum on religious freedom in Malaysia in conjunction with World Human Rights Day 2000 and that it was intended to further religious harmony in the country.
Wrong starting point
When contacted, SIS representative Sharifah Zuriah said she boycotted the workshop as its organisers had failed to focus on the importance of creating a basis of common understanding before addressing grievances by some groups.
"The initial proposal (by the organisers) to address issues (among groups) worried some Muslim groups. SIS has no objections to the formation of an inter-religious council but it has to start with an agreeable platform, rather than one (based) on attacking one another," she said.
Sharifah said when she joined in planning discussions, she found that the organisers retained the idea of starting the council on the basis of the MCCBCHS despite objections by several Muslim groups.
"(The MCCBCHS) became the benchmark for the formation of the inter-religious council. I have mentioned many times that this is the wrong move. The council has to be started on common understanding," she said.
"It should not start as a platform for people to air grouses. Once people are comfortable, then they can move on to look at issues and problems."
Dr Chandra Muzaffar was unavailable for comments as to the reasons for his withdrawal.
Meanwhile, a Bar Council human rights sub-committee spokesperson said the meeting for the setting up of a steering committee will go ahead in about a month’s time.
The national convention should follow in two to three months’ time, she added.
End.
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