The proposal for the formation of an interfaith commission, including the draft bill, has been submitted to the government, steering committee chairperson Malik Imtiaz Sarwar said today.

He said copies of the bill, the plenary statement and the relevant appendices have been sent to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his deputy Najib Abdul Razak and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

Copies were also sent to Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, namely Dr Maximus Ongkili (national unity) and Dr Abdullah Md Zin (Islamic affairs).

"We have attached a letter seeking an appointment with the relevant ministers to discuss the interfaith commission proposal," said lawyer Malik Imtiaz when contacted.

The plenary statement, adopted as the will of Malaysian civil society on the interfaith initiative, was reached after two days of deliberations on the draft bill by over 200 participants late last month.

The interfaith commission proposal is coordinated by the Bar Council human rights sub-committee after holding a workshop on the initiative in 2003.

The national conference was boycotted by a group of Muslim-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) although there were Muslim individuals and representatives, including from other religious and faith groups.

The steering committee on the formation of an interfaith commission have repeatedly invited detractors to participate in the national conference but to no avail.

Futile attempts

The Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs (Accin) remains opposed to institutionalising the interfaith initiative on grounds that it infringes on the existing Islamic administrative system.

Previous attempts to engage opponents of the proposed commission have proved futile.

In a press statement dated March 7 opposing the formation of an interfaith commission, new Accin chairperson Zaid Kamaruddin said members did hear out the proposal.

"We wish to clarify that our stand was made after hearing out the idea and after recording our views against it," he said.

"Prior to 2003, Accin was represented in the pro tem committee that organised a workshop (under the Bar Council).

Zaid was responding to calls from various parties, including Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Dr Rais Yatim who opened the national conference, to hear out the organiser and the proposal.

Subsequently, however, it became clear to Accin representatives that the pro tem committee had a 'hidden agenda' to undermine Islamic teachings."

He believed the proposed commission was intended to be an anti-Islamic body initiated by "certain elements to challenge, in the guise of freedom of religion, certain fundamental Islamic teachings, for example, against apostasy".

Accin, he said in the statement, had also advised the proponents that "given the avowed intention of interfering with Islam, the (commission) would imperil rather than ensure communal harmony".

"Accin had earlier set out certain parameters for its continued participation, including for Islam to be represented by mainstream members and that only inter-faith and not intra-faith matters be discussed," he explained.

"We pointed out to the pro tem committee that the right to practice one's religion does not extend to interfering with another's religion."

Zaid, who is also Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) president, said that several other Islamic groups had dropped out of the initiative at the early stages following the organiser's rejection of Accin's views.

He named Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Sisters in Islam (SIS) and the Muslim Youth Movement Malaysia (Abim). SIS later re-joined the interfaith initiative.

Given the earlier developments, he said it was unfair to accuse Accin of not hearing out the interfaith commission proposal by attending the national conference.

"Since our views were neither heeded nor considered, we stayed away from attending the (2003) workshop and the national conference.

"They (organisers) insisted on our attendance only to ensure the success of these 'legitimising' event," he added.

Citing examples of long-standing interfaith dialogues, Zaid said there was the Inter Faith Spiritual Fellowship, the Malaysian Interfaith Network and FIRE (Fostering Inter Religious Encounters), a body set up by the St Francis Xavier's Church in Petaling Jaya.

He said FIRE has been actively engaging Accin members in interfaith dialogues over the last few years.