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Malaysian police gives 'Defend Islam' rally green light
Straits Times - October 20, 2011
The Himpunan Sejuta Umat, or gathering of one million Muslim faithful, is organized by 25 non-governmental organizations, including the Malay supremacy group Perkasa. It is calling for a new law to punish those who try to convert Muslims.
The rally comes after a controversial raid in August by the Selangor Islamic authorities on a church dinner attended by Muslims. The Sultan of Selangor later said the authorities did find evidence of attempts to convert Muslims but it was insufficient for legal action. Many Muslims regard apostasy to be one of the gravest sins.
The organizers of the Himpun rally are not overtly linked to any political party, and appear to be a pressure group like Perkasa, which is pushing the Malay parties in both the government and opposition to adopt its conservative agenda.
Such groups have sprung up in reaction to Prime Minister Najib Razak's efforts to roll back pro-Malay economic policies as he strives to woo the minority communities which abandoned Barisan Nasional in the 2008 general election.
These Malay-Muslim groups are not just unhappy with the government. They are also disappointed by the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia's move to the centre as the Islamic party tries to work with its coalition partners in Pakatan Rakyat.
Whatever happens this Saturday, it is unclear whether the government or the opposition will benefit, if at all. On its Twitter account, Himpun yesterday declared it was free from any political party: "We are united in our faith."
The Malay parties in the opposition are treading cautiously on this highly sensitive issue of apostasy. While stressing that they are not against any move to safeguard the Muslim faith, they have found reasons to avoid this rally.
The top leadership of PAS, whose youth wing initially supported the gathering, yesterday said it will not take part. Its president Hadi Awang said it respected the organisers' stand that the rally would not involve political parties.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim said his party will stay away as it did not want to cause religious or racial tension.
But the anti-Christian agenda has alarmed some politicians like the Malaysian Chinese Association president Chua Soi Lek, who called for the rally to be cancelled. The MCA is part of the ruling BN.
"Personally, I feel that there should not be any public rally," he said. "We should reduce any form of religious activity that would contribute to suspicion among all races in the country."
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon, whose portfolio is National Unity, said the group had the right of peaceful assembly in a closed place but must "not infringe on the rights of others". Since such a rally may get out of control, he advised the organizers to instead discuss their worries with the government's Interfaith Panel.
Reverend Dr Thomas Phillips, who heads the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, said there were laws to deal with attempts to convert Muslims. "We need to bridge the gaps between the religious communities," he said.
In the last few years, religious tensions have intensified after the High Court allowed a Catholic newspaper to use the word "Allah" to refer to the Christian god. This sparked outrage among some Muslims, who say that Allah is a name exclusive to Islam. One church was fire-bombed and several others were vandalised.
Selangor police said it approved the Himpun permit last week as the event will be held inside the Shah Alam Stadium, 20km from the city. Police will be stationed at the stadium for crowd control.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said the organizers must ensure that the rally is peaceful.
"The organizers have given an undertaking that it is not beyond control as it is held to defend Islam and for Muslim unity," he said yesterday. "The atmosphere is different from a rally based on anger."
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