I refer to the letters by Lisa Jaafar and Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad on Mohd Elfie Nieshaem Jufri's (Menj) letter regarding Muslim apostasy.

First of all, I can totally understand how Lisa and Syed Alwi felt because, I too, felt a great shock when I first read Elfie's ideas at his website other blogspots created by him. As can be gathered from his writings, Elfied is rabidly anti everything non-Muslim.

He maintains a website condemning Christianity and has even published a booklet entitled Buddhism: A Muslim primer - A refutation of Buddhism and its practises .

He also writes copious amounts of insensitive and provocative comments on others' websites. While I am all for open discussion, I am very irritated by Elfie's holier-than-thou attitude whereby he wants others to listen to his views but he himself brushes aside the opinions of others as mere nonsense.

Elfie once wrote a letter to malaysiakini telling non-Muslims to stop commenting about Islam as they (the non-Muslims) had no business poking their noses into Islam.

Now, I find that a bit rich coming from a person who has set up a website dedicated to condemning Christianity and who has published a book to refute Buddhism! This scenario alone illustrates his acute inability to play fairly on a level ground.

Elfie also had this to say on his website about the posting of his most recent letter in malaysiakini : '(This is) my letter ... in response to a female ignoramus from Singapore ... published today in malaysiakini .'

It is clear that Elfie regards all those who differ from him as ignorant. Yet he continues to shut himself to other views and remains ignorant of other people's feelings and values.

After having read his works, I am no longer shocked by the tone of his letters to malaysiakini , but I continue to be thoroughly annoyed by his great insensitivity. However, I have come to the conclusion that there is no use in trying to reason with a brick wall which has no ability to understand you. B

But all is not lost as from Elfie and the likes of him, we learn that there are dozens of open-minded and peace-loving Malaysians for every Elfie in Malaysia. Let us not allow the Elfiess in this country to obstruct our efforts to build a more civil society.