Politicians have failed so ordinary folks must stand up
Source:The Malaysian Insider
Politicians, from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, have failed to protect the freedom of worship for all religions and it is now up to the ordinary citizen to stand up.
At the same time, faith groups must band together to push the government for a formal mechanism to protect that freedom and to which people can seek help when that freedom is violated, an interfaith symposium concluded last night.
This was the take-away from a forum organised by (Ahmadiyya) Muslim group which brought together Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and other faiths to heal rifts that have opened up in a climate of heightened religious tension.
The symposium was held just hours after an 81-year-old Muslim scholar and activist was hauled to court by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) and Department of Islamic Development Malaysia on charges he had insulted Islam and disobeyed a fatwa (religious decree).
Speakers at the talk, organised by the Malaysian Ahmadiyah community, argued that minority religions were being made victims in the battle for the Malay Muslim vote between the country’s largest Muslim parties, Umno and PAS.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia