The M Moorthy controversy is a big wake-up call for this bumbling-along Muslim-led government as well as my fellow Muslims who, all these years, have not led a good Islamic life which resulted in Islam being undermined and despised by non-Muslims.

The worst part is that a group of highly educated Muslim Malays who know very little about Islamic rules, have, in their liberal beliefs, taken the high ground which has further undermined their own religion.

For instance, these high and mighty individuals have taken on board the concept of the interfaith commission (IFC) due to their sheer ignorance that in Islamic state, Islam is one above others - not first among equals let alone one among equals.

Muslims in a Hindu, Buddhist, Christian or communist nations know that their religion is not even treated as one among equals particularly post Sept 11. But no matter, a sensible Islamic government like Malaysia will ensure that the interests of its non-Muslim population are well- protected and their grievances heard as long as they remain loyal and adhere to the prescribed parameters.

But the principle remains that Islam as the host religion cannot sit together with imported faiths in a permanent institution such as the IFC. If the non-Muslims sit back and think about the (generally) good life they are enjoying in Malaysia (to the extent of dominating the economy), I think they should think hard before pushing the matter further.

If this Muslim-government had put or encouraged efforts to explain Islam to the non-Muslims, Malaysia by now should have become a good, tolerant Islamic country where a majority of population of different races are Muslims.

Some Muslims even fail to appreciate that Islamic rules and conditions on marriage and divorce, Faraid, polygamy, business ethics, etc, are far superior to the secular ones. If most users of Islamic banking are non-Muslims, then there is no reason why they can't embrace the faith like the many Chinese and Indians who do so from time to time.

Instead, what we have now are Muslims (the liberals) who have undertaken Islam-bashing as a new hobby, while the rest, through their greed, are showing despicable examples, be it in business or their everyday life.