Catholic Bishop Emeritus Paul Tan Chee Eng hailed the comments made by PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi in support of Hannah Yeoh’s disclosures of how her faith has influenced her conduct as a politician.

Those disclosures have made Yeoh the target of Muslim ire based on the latter’s perception that the DAP state assemblyperson for Subang Jaya was engaging in Christianisation.

“Our religion influences our ethics, our judgment and criticism of ourselves, and our behaviour towards our fellow human beings,” said the Jesuit-trained prelate, who has been a vocal exponent of issues affecting the right to freedom of religion.

“Hannah Yeoh has merely spoken about her faith-journey, which is about how her religion has affected her life and career and if that is interpreted by some quarters as pushing for Christianisation, then Christians in Malaysia have to go back to Roman times when they could only practice their faith in catacombs,” the bishop said.

Paul described PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi’s defence of Yeoh’s admission of how Christianity has influenced her life as stemming from having engaged in a “dialogue of life”.

“This is when one adherent of a faith mingles with someone of another faith in the course of their careers and commitments and they jointly discover how they are similar and how they are different,” he expatiated.

“This is called the ‘dialogue of life’, which Christians recommend as the best way of proceeding in a multi-religious society,” explained the prelate.

Paul inferred from remarks made by Nik Nazmi in refutation of his fellow Muslims’ accusation that Yeoh is a Christian proselyte that the PKR leader had engaged in a ‘dialogue of life’ with her and had found the exercise edifying.

“It appears that Nik Nazmi has spoken out against religious monism - the perspective that a single vision explains all that is to know. It doesn’t and is the sure way to religious fanaticism,” argued Paul.

“A dialogue of life is the better way to discovery of our common humanity, which would prompt us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with the divinity to which we are bound,” said the bishop.

“Dialogue helps each party to be honest in expressing his/her faith, without condemnation of the other. In fact, it should go further in truly learning what others believe and any proselytisation is taboo,” he added.