COMMENT | The hot issue of the moment in Malaysia Baru is religion.

Muslim men complain that stewardesses are wearing "eye-poking" (menjolok mata) uniforms. Muslim men demand the right to marry children.

Some schools brainwash Muslim children into thinking that Islam is best, and children are allegedly discouraged from befriending non-Muslim children, while in some schools, non-Muslims are treated as outcasts.

Muslim women have to ask their husbands for permission to divorce. Non-Muslims who pay tax are funding Muslim institutions, and this creates much resentment.

It is permissible to convert people of other faiths to Islam, but not the other way round. Wannabe Muslims, meaning those who convert to Islam, are given easy access to bumiputra rights. This form of benefit cheating is sheer hypocrisy, because some Muslims believe in quantity (of Muslims) but not quality.

Malaysia has two sets of laws – civil and syariah – and when many bad things are done in the name of Islam, few Malaysians dare say anything about these (child marriage, polygamy, inheritance rights) for fear of being accused of interfering, or of insulting Islam. Few Muslim women will agree that the Syariah courts “protect” their rights.

At KLIA airport, I tried to buy a duty-free bottle of a particular brand of single malt whisky, for a friend, whose dying wish (he has terminal cancer) was to enjoy his favourite tipple.

Apparently, the cash till would not allow the purchase to go through, because I am Muslim and the computers are linked to Jabatan Kastam. I have no idea if this is true or not. If the sale had been allowed, the lady serving me could have lost her job. She advised me to do what countless others do, and use the boarding pass of another passenger to buy the drink.

The alternative was to purchase a bottle at a supermarket, at an inflated price. That is, if I am allowed, as some supermarkets practise haram and halal policies.

What happened to the fatwa against smoking, that was passed, some years ago? Why is it all right for the Muslim to destroy his lungs, but not okay for him to damage his liver?

Please, don’t tell me that I could always buy another gift for my dying friend. Remember that this was his special request, as he is not going to last the year, possibly not even the month.

The Customs Department has no right to police our purchases. By trying to buck the system, the Muslim learns to be deceitful.

False data must be astounding

The false data from duty-free purchases must be astounding. On paper, it looks like the non-Muslim consumes twice as much liquor (from duty free sales), and it is possible that half of these sales are by Muslims.

Last week, PAS MPs complained that the kebaya worn by MAS air stewardesses were too revealing. Transport Minister Anthony Loke (photo) was correct to dismiss PAS’ concerns, by advising them to look away, if the MPs thought the uniforms made them “uncomfortable”.

Many Muslim men insist on their religious right to marry children; but say nothing about the bleak future and the negative effects on the 11-year-old child bride, who was married off to an old man.

I have yet to read about Muslim women complaining about the attire of air stewards, especially those with tight trousers, which show off the contours of their groin.

Who are these men, referred to by PAS, who get “stim” at the sight of a woman in a kebaya? Wouldn’t passengers prefer stewardesses who are knowledgeable about aircraft safety? Have there been incidents of Muslim men molesting MAS stewardesses?

Trust PAS MPs to focus on the wrong fixation. Are they trying to distract us in Parliament, with this MAS’ uniform issue?

Two things are worth mentioning about the dress code that PAS, and the conservative Malays, want to impose upon Malaysians. First: The people who object are mostly men. Second: The people who are at the receiving end are women, like the stewardesses and the child brides.

By all means, have faith. Keep your faith and practise your faith, but do not use religion to break this nation apart, or expect companies to alter their regulations, and force others to adopt practices which people of a particular faith feel are important.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad once erroneously declared that Malaysia is an Islamic nation, and trying to disentangle Malaysia from this constitutional mess, has been problematic.

Religion is a vital component of any decent society, but when religion and politics are allowed to mix, sparks will fly. Religious leaders can help to act as the nation’s conscience, by condemning violence and racism, but they should not be allowed to represent us in Parliament and pretend they are acting on behalf of God.

In rebuilding Malaysia, we must not think of ourselves just as Muslims, non-Muslims, Malays or non-Malays, but identify ourselves as part of the Malaysian community.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.