I refer to the article Islam Hadhari vs Islam Madani by Phar Kim Beng.

I find it perplexing that the writer talk about Hadhari and Madani in this context. Whether it is Islam Hadhari, Madani, Sufiism or Ahmadiyya, it is the right and freedom of Muslims to choose their belief.

There is no homogeneity in the observance or practise of Islam in the whole Muslim world because of different interpretations but that is not an issue nor a problem. The problem is the politicisation of religion by individuals or parties for personal gain or for political agendas.

In this country, freedom of worship is encoded in the constitution but there is slight difference in that non-Muslims are allowed to choose or change their religious beliefs whereas this freedom for Malays is restricted.

A case in point is the recent Federal Court decision involving four apostates . And if I am not mistaken, Malays are also not allowed to follow Shiite teachings here in Malaysia.

While Muslims are allowed to choose their religious belief in other countries compared to other others which disallow this, I feel this illustrates nothing but political climate and religious hegemony.

In my opinion, religious belief is personal and there should be no compulsion. The important point to bear is freedom.