A group of youths visit a mosque in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur as part of a state-sponsored program to promote harmony and tolerance among various faiths. (Photo: Impact Malaysia Facebook page)
A major interfaith council in Muslim-majority Malaysia has backed a state-run youth program involving visits to worship sites of various faiths and dismissed allegations it covertly promotes proselytizing of Muslims.
In a statement, Jagir Singh, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism said that visits to different houses of worship must be encouraged to promote understanding, respect, and harmony, the Malay Mail reported on March 18.
Singh urged the government and Islamic authorities to refrain from imposing a possible ban on Muslims from visiting worship places of other faith amid allegations of proselytization from opposition politicians and Muslim hardliners.
“The unity walks to places of worship are to see and understand the different cultures. There is no propagation of any religion involved,” Singh said.
"Any program involving Muslims in the houses of worship of religions other than Islam is absolutely prohibited"
“It is necessary for all races to work together in a spirit of goodwill, mutual respect to enhance harmony and unity in the country,” he added.
Singh said that instead of imposing a blanket ban on Muslims from visiting non-Muslim worship sites, the government and Islamic authorities should clearly state that “there should not be any propagation of other faiths to Muslims.”
His response came after Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, a Selangor state executive councilor who oversees Islamic affairs in the nation, issued a statement that apparently suggested that even unity walks to houses of worship was not allowed for Muslims.
Mughni commended the interfaith activities but warned that “the regulations establish that any program involving Muslims in the houses of worship of religions other than Islam is absolutely prohibited,” in a March 15 statement.
Earlier, a Muslim politician accused Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh of using the “Jom Ziarah” program to take Muslim youths to visit other places of worship for evangelization.
The program aims to promote a better understanding of the different races, religions, and cultures in Malaysia.
In a Facebook post, Badrul Hisham Shaharin, a former People’s Justice Party member slammed the Impact Malaysia event saying "Christian evangelist has started its work" prompting mixed responses from various quarters of Malaysian society.
Yeoh, a Christian, refuted the allegations stating that there was no Muslim youth in the team that visited various places of worship including a visit to a church in Klang city.
"The mere visiting of places of worship cannot be an offense"
Singh pointed out that the visits under the Jom Ziarah program aimed to only understand the differences between various faiths and there was no proselytization involved.
“If there is no propagation of other faiths to Muslims, no offense is committed. Therefore, the mere visiting of places of worship cannot be an offense,” Singh pointed out, the Malay Mail reported.
He cited the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988 enacted under Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution which prohibits only “propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.”
Singh also pointed out that for more than 10 years the council with various NGOs including Islamic ones had taken part in unity walks to various places of worship to show respect and tolerance which included events organized by the National Unity and Integration Department.
He said that these visits “created great goodwill amongst the different races and religions.”
Christians make up about 10 percent of the estimated 32 million citizens in Muslim-majority Malaysia. The majority of Christians live in Sarawak and Sabah states where they make up two-thirds of the population and form decisive voting blocs.
Media reports suggest that Muslim hardliners and Islamist politicians attempted to vilify Christians by accusing them of running campaigns to convert Muslims.
In 2016, politician Andul Hadi Awang from the Islamist Party of Malaysia accused Christian missionaries of “preying on poor and uneducated people” in impoverished communities in Malaysian states like Sabah and elsewhere by paying them off to convert to Christianity, in an article.
In 2014, in a controversial book, Pendedahan Agenda Kristian (Exposing the Christian Agenda), a unanimous author labeled Christians “the enemies of Islam” who harbor ill intentions and spread lies.
In 2021, a Facebook page called Hud Hud Crew published a doctored video that claimed Archbishop Julian Leow of Kuala Lumpur insulted Muslims in a speech.
Until a court ruling in 2021, non-Muslims were banned from using the word “Allah.” The decades-long legal battle triggered violent protests and at least 11 churches were attacked.
