The lack of understanding on what mutual respect and being sensitive to each other’s religious beliefs is, is the reason why some narrow-minded politicians continue to gain political mileage by harping on religious issues and playing up religious sentiments.

Religious freedom is a basic human right enshrined under the Malaysian constitution. Put simply, anyone can pick up a joss-stick or raise his hands towards heaven and pray to his God, on Malaysian soil, regardless of whether such a practice is offensive to a person of another religion.

The first basic tenet of the Rukun Negara is spelt out as ‘Belief In God’, with no specific names attached to it. As long as one religious community can offer prayers in a common meeting, the same can and should be extended to all other religious groups.

This is what it meant by having mutual respect. The word respect means that we accept what someone sincerely holds to be true, without necessarily agreeing to it. For example, you can either attend a Hindu funeral out of respect of for the deceased without participating in its rites, or you can stage a walkout just because you feel offended by the funeral rites.

It is against basic human rights for one party to restrict or deny another person from exercising his faith or rituals. In a multi-cultural society like Malaysia, we have to learn to exercise mutual respect for each other instead of taking offence over every little thing that does not come within our definition of religion.

It is imperative on the part of the proponents of a religion, however, to be sensitive to the feelings of others. In the case of our Muslim brothers, for example, pork is non-halal; it would not be served in a dinner function even if one person attending it is a Muslim. This has been the extent of which non- Muslims have exercised their sensitivity towards their Muslim brothers.

The same should be reciprocated in a spirit of religious tolerance on the part of our Muslim brothers, when beef can become a stumbling block for the Hindu, and it should be avoided at a dinner function.

While it is true that some may be offended by the word ‘proselytisation’, the reality is no religion in this world is self-contained. The answer to this issue of proselytisation in a multi-religious setting is simply tolerance. In the spirit of mutual respect, you can talk to me about any deity, and I have no reason to be offended; likewise, you have no reason to take offence if I share mine.

I can agree with you, disagree and carry out an intellectual debate with you, or I can just walk away; I have no right whatsoever reason to restrict you from doing what you sincerely hold to be true.

The unfortunate thing is when narrow-mindedness has overtaken the way how some of us are viewing how others should conform to our ways.

In many ways, we become oversensitive and begin to impose restrictions on others the way how atheistic communist regimes in the past had done during the Cold War, leading to religious persecution and martyrdom.

This should not be the case in a modern country like Malaysia, where the first tenet of the Rukun Negara is ‘Belief in God’ and this in itself promises all parties the freedom to exercise their faith and to propagate it.

Where it finds a home in the heart of an unconverted, so be it; if not, anyone is free to close the ears and walk away. This is religious freedom.

It is time that we take away our blinkers and tell our politicians to stop playing on religious sentiments or use their authority to impose restrictions on others who share equal rights as human persons to exercise a faith of his adoption.