The King recently called upon Muslims to open up their minds to knowledge. As head of Islam in Malaysia, he should impress this first on our ulama and religious scholars. Their demand that discourses in Islam should only be among and by them reflects their closed minds.

This intellectual arrogance is also far from the image of humility and piety we expect of them. These scholars have learned little from their illustrious predecessors.

Ancient Muslim luminaries did not hesitate to seek knowledge from the Greeks, Romans and Hindus; they were not at all perturbed at learning from the infidels.