Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has urged the introduction of legislation to ensure a tolerant society.

"There is need for safeguards to exist in the country through the legislation.

"This is so that we emerge more tolerant, humble and able to survive with any challenges," she said.

Such safeguards, she said, should be achieved through the government or the various religious institutions.

Her comments come after resistance by right wing groups to a proposal by the National Unity Consultative Council to legislate against bigotry.

The PKR vice-president was speaking at the World Forum for Muslim Democrats in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Not everything outside of Islam is bad

Also speaking was PAS central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad ( left ), who defended his party from claims that an Islamic party cannot be inclusive.

"Being in a coalition (Pakatan Rakyat) shows we are not exclusive," he said.

Dzulkefly's comment came after Universiti Islam Antarabangsa lecturer Maszlee Malik said that the future for Muslims does not lie with political Islam or Islamists.

"Once you put Islam in politics, it will create more enemies than allies," he said.

Maszlee, however, clarified with Malaysiakin i later that he was speaking in a global context.

"There is a certain tendency for certain political parties to live in exclusivity, viewing others as 'the others'," he explained.

As such, the future lies with a democratic societies which share a common belief in justice, human dignity and good governance, said Maszlee who specialises in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence).

Maszlee ( right ) in his speech also pointed out how Prophet Muhammad incorporated into his leadership the tradition of syura (consultation) of the pre-Islamic era referred to as jahiliyah (time of ignorance).

"The point I'm trying to make is, not everything from the jahiliyyah is bad.

"Nowadays, many Muslims like to say everything other than Islam is jahiliyah," he said.

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