A religious body today claimed that criticisms made by the Muslim Scholars Association of Malaysia (PUM) against a group of writers, over their remarks on Islam and Prophet Muhammad, amounted to an attack on freedom of speech.

"A fundamental issue of the right to speak about issues that impact our lives as Malaysians, including aspects of Islam, is being denied by the accusations made," said Council of Churches general-secretary Dr Hermen Shastri in a press statement.

Shastri was commenting on a memorandum PUM sent to the Council of Rulers accusing certain individuals of having insulted and abused Islam and Prophet Muhammad in their writings.

"The memorandum uses arbitrary grounds quotations obtained from newspapers to accuse a number of individuals of insulting Islam," Shastri added.

Controversial remarks

On Feb 4, PUM lodged a report against writer and academic Dr Farish A Noor, The Sun columnist Akbar Ali, University Malaya lecturer Dr Patricia Martinez, lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Sisters in Islam executive director and Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Zainah Anwar for their alleged controversial remarks regarding the religion.

Last month PUM also lodged a report with the National Fatwa Council against Farish and The Edge business weekly.

They claimed that Farish had belittled Prophet Muhammad in an interview with the business weekly.