YOURSAY 'Extremism comes from the top and it must be tackled there.'

'Don't punish church protesters, educate them'

JD Lovrenciear: Well said, Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) president Jerry Dusing.

It is the onerous and categorically imperative duty of governments to educate and enlighten its citizens on matters pertaining to race and religious understanding, appreciation and acceptance of one another's heritage, culture and beliefs.

The fact is, we were never like this before independence and in the formative years of post-independence. So who should take the rap?

FairGame: This is the difference between civilised and uncivilised, educated and uneducated -magnanimous and forgiving in the face of hatred, thuggery and bullying antics.

Versey: My humble opinion is that Christians should forgive these Taman Medan church protesters and should not hold any grudges against them.

The statement issued by SCC is indeed noble and the government should take up the advice to educate the public on the importance of tolerance and respect in keeping peace and harmony in a multicultural, multiracial society, and to foster greater understanding among all Malaysians.

However, I hope SCC understands the responsibilities/duties entrusted by the general public to the enforcement bodies in the country.

For example, if anyone is being threatened by thugs or is robbed, it is perfectly alright for the victims to forgive the perpetrators and not to pursue the issue.

Still, the enforcement bodies have the duty to follow up the case so that anyone who trespasses the law would have to face the appropriate penalty for wrongdoing, so that law and order in society is upheld and maintained.

Eagle: This is a protest by Umno members , one of whom was a candidate in past elections. This is a political ploy deliberately designed to stir things up.

Normally Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and all would not go and disturb others. By and large we all live in peace and harmony, except for those with political and other motivations.

BernieBaby: Exactly who is going to educate these Taman Medan protestors? Our government? That would be a laugh, as they would send in the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) idiots. These are just the symptoms of policies implemented during former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time.

Change the government and these incidents will slowly fade away. I say slowly, as Umno will create more trouble after losing power, but over time they will become dinosaurs.

Ong: "Incidents such as this usually stem from ignorance, and ignorance breeds hatred," said SCC president Dusing.

Dusing has failed to understand that the primary cause is hatred, not ignorance. Because of hatred, these protesters refuse to learn and get enlightened and thus remain ignorant.

In the meantime, Dusing ought to try and convince his fellow Sabahan-elected legislators, especially the Christian ones, to stop being undignified ‘fixed deposits’ for BN.

Anonymous #20513663: I do not believe that all the protesters were just 'uneducated'. Many signs seem to point to deliberate provocation by Umno or Umno-linked individuals. And research has shown links between Umno and 'mercenary', extremist groups.

The pastor should not be so naive. This incident is not an isolated one because of low education or poverty. We all know very well that this is the natural result of decades of extremist indoctrination by state agencies such as Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and BTN, and even some schools and universities.

In other words, what we are witnessing here is not lack of education or ignorance, but deliberate wrong education, and decades of this, caused by none other than the Malaysian state and state agencies.

Extremism in Malaysia comes right from the top and it must be tackled there. Stop being naive.

Kamaapo: Dusing said, "Never before..." That's very, very true. It's under Prime Minister Najib Razak that things of this nature have become very bad. He has sorely failed to nip bigotry and racism in the bud for selfish political expediency.

He is like a CEO that loves not the company but is desperately trying to secure his tenure with the company. Meanwhile, shareholders are suffering.

Factnot Fiction: I do not think the protesters went there on their own accord. I believe most of them could not be bothered by the cross.

They look like people who are busy with making a living. They are being instigated, maybe paid to protest. The police need to look into this.

Fateh: The politicians are the ones who have destroyed the harmonious environment of this country. It was the barking old man who started the political divide to strengthen his self-serving interest.

RCZ: Educate the brainwashed? What rubbish. Punish them as they understand nothing else and maybe jail time would be a good signal to the rest of the brainwashed.

It is up to the moderate educated Muslims to educate the uneducated ones if they so desire. It is not the duty of the innocent injured to say, educate them. Without any punishment, the uneducated boors climb all over everyone's heads.

They commit crimes and think they can get away with it. Enough is enough.

Haveagreatday: Dusing, your concerns are really misplaced. You must have forgotten they are Umnoputras in the first instance.

In all likelihood, a visit to the police station for a cup of coffee is all the punishment they will get.

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