I refer to the letter Jawi raid: What could non-Muslims have done? I am indeed very surprised that someone has actually asked why non-Muslims have not spoken out in defence of their Muslim friends following the fallout from the infamous Jawi raid.
Firstly, what can we do? This is a matter of religious enforcement that is backed my Malaysian law. The same applies in cases of 'khalwat', eating in public during Ramadhan and other religious 'no-no's.
The biggest problem in Malaysia are the very prominent hypocritical differences shown by people of all races when it comes to race and religion. Islam - being the national religion - has been used to sideline other religious beliefs in the country.
One such example recently was the controversy surrounding the Christmas open house in Petaling Jaya. Others include the long battles non-Muslims have lost with the authorities to construct new temples or churches.
When race and religion is used to warn non-Muslims in Malaysia to not question Malay 'special rights', why are people like Farish A Noor now questioning the role of non-Muslims in a situation like the Jawi raid?
When something is beneficial to the dominant race, it is chanted over and over again but when something works against them, is the role of non-Muslims to be questioned?
If the Muslims feel that they are being unfairly persecuted, then it is only they that can fix the problem. We non-Muslims are not allowed to question their religious beliefs or actions. The infamous ISA is there to ensure that.
The funny thing is that our prime minister is going around the world portraying Malaysia as an example of a modern Muslim nation. I wonder what the rest of the world really thinks.