Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) today stressed that it has never agreed with any form of discrimination or bullying made against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha in a statement posted on his Facebook page today said that acts such as labelling, condemning, insulting and demeaning the community can be considered extreme.

"Such acts go against the spirit of community which prioritises the approach to advising, instead."

He, however, said that immoral activities and acts which go against nature does not change according to a person's tastes, neither do they change with the passage of time.

Othman nevertheless stressed that Jakim tries to be objective by not being prejudicial or judging of the community.

In fact, anyone from the community "who wants to improve his or her life" are welcomed to join any of Jakim's programmes, he said.

"For Jakim, reminder needs to be given be it through legal action or continued dakwah (preaching of Islam) to those who are involved in anything that goes against the order of nature."

Citing various programmes by Jakim to engage with the LGBT community, Othman said Jakim also holds usrah (small group sessions) and al-Quran learning sessions for the community.

"We hold iftar (breaking of fast) sessions with the community during every Ramadan since 2011 but this is not the space to fight for rights that go against the order of nature but it is to return back to what the religion requires."

Although it does not agree with the poor treatment of the LGBT community, Jakim however believes that the fight for equal rights for the community was cosmetic in nature - pretty on the outside but rotten on the inside.

"It doesn't solve the real problems involving acts that go against the order of nature committed by the LGBT community.

"What that is more important is the requirement to live according to what Islam outlines and this goes hand in hand with the spirit of the county's constitution which places Islam as the federal religion."

Although Othman did not refer to any particular incident, a Pride Day cum breaking of the fast event held on June 10 courted brickbats from various quarters.

Comments posted in response to the event saw some branding the LGBT movement as murtad (apostate), dajjal (the anti-Christ), while some also called for them to be "detained in forests". Far right Malay group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) also called for the arrest of the organiser.

The organiser, Pelangi Campaign president Numan Afifi, however explained that the programme was aimed to encourage dialogue and was also organised to remember the lives of 49 people from the LGBT community who were killed in a nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, the United States on June 12, 2016.