Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said he had asked Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Jamil Khir Baharom to organise a meeting to brief the country's muftis on the Inter-faith Relations Working Committee.

   

muhyiddin yassin pc 170310 He added that the meeting, to be held in a day or two, is aimed at briefing them of the committee's role, objective and to assure them that the committee would not touch on the position and status of Islam.

   

"The Inter-Religious Committee that was formed recently is different from the Inter-Faith Commission (IFC) that was rejected by the government," Muhyiddin ( right ) was quoted by Bernama as saying today.

"The committee was formed to promote understanding and harmony among religions and discuss sensitive issues on religion," added Muhyiddin.

   

Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria was quoted as saying that he was disappointed with the approval of the committee by the cabinet because they may be unreasonable claims by other religions.   

   

Muhyiddin said the committee's role was to provide an avenue to foster mutual understanding and solidarity among races and religions in the country and placed under a National Unity and Integration Department of the Prime Minister's Department.

‘Don’t tell me we cannot even discuss’

   

"The committee does not have the power to decide on religious disputes. They may come out with findings that can be capitalised as guidelines to improve communication among various races and submit their recommendations to us," said Muhyiddin in response to the Perak Fatwa Committee's objection to the inter-faith committee.

   

"Don't tell me we cannot even discuss... we must be open and provide room for discussing issues but that does not involve the status of Islam."

   

The deputy prime minister also chided media reports that he had tried to belittle the committee's role by referring it as "small fry, little role, no power" .

   

"I have not mentioned such words. I have been in politics for long and know what the media need and I have briefed them in detail, one by one, so that they can take down what I said.

“Such media must be more responsible in their reporting and I will have to look at their reports," he said.