I refer to Lee Ban Chen's article Interfaith Commission - why fear it? which was indeed an amusing and entertaining read.

Lee's latest piece conveniently side-steps the litany of feeble-minded commentaries that have been made by individuals or organisations against Muslims or Muslim practices in the country in the past.

To give only two examples of many, may I refer to the description of the Muslim call to prayer (the azan) as 'noise pollution' and the attempts by a local town council to have some control on the rearing of dogs by house owners.

More audaciously, the seeming concern by some quarters for the rights of Muslims to renounce their religion .

Lee has not bothered to reflect these examples of bad faith in his piece which would have somewhat explained why some Muslims feel that efforts to institutionalise the proposed Interfaith Commission should not proceed.

That, of course, these efforts are being pushed for by the very same many who have exhibited such jaundiced, bigoted views of Islam in the past is galling to most Malays and Muslims goes without saying.

Lee has proven to be less than partial when he fails to note facts like generations of Malay and Muslim tolerance for massive religious processions on regular annual basis across the country by more than one ethnic or religious group that invariably ends up in massive traffic jams and a chaotic atmosphere not to mention the trail of litter that's left behind after such events.

Or the burning of giant, monster joss sticks for days on end that smog the atmosphere and sting your eyes and assault your nostrils.

Or how Malay and Muslim residents have to put up with some irresponsible neighbours who keep their dogs chained and barking for hours on end and late at nights too or the keeping of such dogs in appalling, unhygienic conditions resulting in a heavy stench hanging in the air.

Or dog owners who enjoy taking their dogs for that seemingly innocuous walk only to have these dogs deposit their droppings in and around premises of the neighbourhood but of course, at a distance from the residences of these pet owners..

Or the not-so-recent report on a non-Muslim mother who took her children away from a Muslim revert father with all and sundry conveniently refusing to discuss the rights of the father or the fact that even before the marriage, this well-educated man had informed his bride-to-be on his interest in Islam and that he was contemplating conversion.

What gives?

I should think this history of bad faith and relative, selective moralism ought to be reflected by Lee if he had intended to be true to the report that he wrote. Instead, Lee opted for a simplistic 'explanation' on the Malay/Muslim reticence to the Interfaith Commission - their sense of dominance over the other faiths.

To be fair, while I think that is true, it is only part of the complete picture.

I cannot even begin to try and explain a much more compelling reason for our Malay/Muslim reticence to the commission and that is the prevalence and perverseness of a permissive mind-set and a culture of abdication amongst the ranks of priesthood and institutions of certain faiths which we find difficult to reconcile with.

Like the issue of morality being 'a personal issue' and 'a personal choice' which leaves little room for debate or enforcement towards a more orderly, responsible society irrespective of one's faith. What is there to discuss if it's all 'personal choice'?

Or issues like homosexuality which has gained acceptance in some church denominations nullifying even discussions of its unacceptability in general society?

Or the stand of a complete ban on abortion by certain religions even in cases of rape or incest or where the mother's personal health and survival are at stake - Muslims find this unusually hard to reconcile with.

Or the seeming reticence or bashfulness of the religious elders of certain faiths to say very categorically that gambling or consumption of alcohol or adultery are forbidden. Are they hiding behind the 'personal choices' shield?

Under such a scenario and background, I ask what meaningful dialogue may we conduct under the auspices of the so-called Interfaith Commission. Let's be honest with ourselves.

Let's get a dialogue going but do not try to get a licence to interpret the religion of the Malays through one's own standards of relative moralism and a culture of abdication.