I refer to the Malaysiakini report Ex-mufti: 'Tauliah' is against Islam .

I fully support former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin who says that having to obtain 'tauliah' is against Islamic teachings as it infringes freedom of speech.

He is also right when he says that ‘those who try to stop others from expressing their views freely are those who are protecting their own selfish interests (read political), stricken by fear at the threat to their own positions of power’.

He is also right when he says this 'tauliah' thing is a system to stop people from voicing their views because some of the religious talks have political elements, and 'tauliah' is imposed to restrict 'unapproved' persons from giving Islamic speeches.

I will tell you why.

In the early 80s, the government (read Umno) was having enormous trouble in controlling Islamic religious speeches from two fronts. The Al Arqam members and PAS members were - in the establishment's word - 'terrorising’ the Muslim masses with their religious speeches intertwined with plenty of political overtures and substances making it difficult for Umno to control and influence Muslims who are also their bastion of political power in the country.

Representing the Indian and Pakistani mosques in Wilayah Persekutuan, I was trapped in between an Umno in power and PAS and Al Arqam - the so-called troublemakers - in a 'political fight' aimed at establishing influence over Islamic institutions such as mosques and religious schools.

The Indian Muslim and Pakistan communities were not interested in politics but had only wished that the mosques that their societies had proudly founded be allowed to be run by their own people who usually take pride in such Islamic activities.

In order to contain the PASD /Al Arqam threat, one of the first things the Umno government did was to dismantle all the 33 Jamek mosques committees in Kuala Lumpur by introducing new laws - 'Undang-undang tubuh kariah masjid' - to administer them. The holding of annual general meetings at these mosques to elect office-bearers was immediately put to a stop.

Meetings were only allowed merely to elect three office-bearers while the president, deputy president, secretary, assistant secretary and four more office-bearers would be appointed by the government. The imam, who also would be a government appointee, would automatically be the secretary and be the only person allowed to communicate on behalf of that institution.

'Gajah sama gajah berjuang, pelanduk (the Indian Muslim community that is) mati di tengah’. I objected to this ruling telling the Jabatan Agama Wilayah Persekutuan (Jawi) and Islamic Development Department Jakim that the new ruling was only for 'Shafi' school and that it is not fair to the 'Hanafi' community but we were told not to worry promising as the list of names submitted by our society would be approved by Jawi.

When I argued that having a 'guillotine hanging over our neck' was not acceptable, the then minister Yusuf Nor then tried to pacify me by saying that it is paramount for Umno to control the activites of PAS and Al Arqam who were purpoptedly - in Umno's opinion - gravely destroying the unity of the Muslim ‘ummah’ by making seriously damaging political speeches disguised religious speeches in mosques and in religious schools creating unsurmountable troubles for Umno.

A total of 31 out of the 33 Masjid Jamek who did not agree to the new laws met under the leadership of the chairperson of the Masjid Abu Bakar, Bangsar to confront the minister and Jawi and protest against the new laws to control Islamic activites in all mosques in Kuala Lumpur. All the 31 mosque committees were later systematically overthrown and new Jawi-friendly committees were finally installed.

Two persons were representing the Indian Muslims, SOK Ubaidullah heading the Masjid India mosque and who relented was awarded the 'Maal Hijrah' award while me who was dead against the new laws was 'fixed up'.

Jawi indirectly got some people to cook up some accusations of embezzlement at the Sentul Mosque where over 20 police reports were lodged. Three times the police investigated but they never charged me probably because I had all the evidence of my innocence and maybe the police were then not as creative as they are now.

In the same go, the redevelopment plan for the Sentul mosque was forever stiffled. Masjid Sentul today still lies condemned to its 50-year-old state.

From then onwards, the same 'succeessful formula' of fully controlling mosques has proven effective in Kuala Lumpur must have been spread all over the country. To the best of my knowledge, this is how the 'tauliah' thing came into being so that only Umno policy and Umno- firendly speeches are made in all mosques all over the country.

That is why even people with Islamic knowledge and accreditation and a PhD holder like Mohd Asri, an ex mufti who is fundamental and progressive like the Muslim majority today are being barred from freely delivering Islamic speeches.

That’s why probably most Malaysians today find it comforting to support Asri against the 'tauliah' system which is clearly political, arbitrary and un-Islamic which must be immediately.

And in the Pakatan Rakyat states, AGMs should now be freely allowed in all Jamek mosques so that religious activities in mosques are returned back to the ‘ummah’ and not anymore used as a political tool by political parties.