PAS has been rebuked by MCA for belittling Taoist practices as environment degradation in its push for the amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

"(PAS deputy president) Tuan Ibrahim (Tuan Man) must be lambasted for insulting the Taoist practice of burning hell notes and non-Muslims' shift towards cremation as harming the environment.

"His statement reflects his and PAS' insensitivity and downgrades his standing as a leader for resorting to mocking others," MCA religious harmony deputy chairperson Ng Chok Sin said in a statement today.

Ng was referring to remarks made by Tuan Ibrahim yesterday, where the PAS leader had said that the practice of burning hell money by Chinese communities or the cremation of bodies was not banned, even though these pollute the environment.

Calling this an example of the freedom to practise one's beliefs in Malaysia, Tuan Ibrahim said that similarly Muslims should be allowed to practise their religion as they saw fit.

Any moves to block the Private Member's Bill by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to pave the way for the implementation of hudud in Kelantan would go against the freedom of religion, he had explained.

Ng said that they were deeply offended by these remarks from Tuan Ibrahim.

Not only is the PAS leader equating enhanced punishments from the syariah courts with "freedom to practise one's beliefs", Ng said that he is also provoking the Taoist community into joining the controversy over Hadi's bill.

"Taoists are peace-loving adherents and are much wiser than to fall into Tuan Ibrahim's snare of igniting conflict between Muslims and Taoists," Ng said.

Spiralling costs for tombstones

Ng pointed out that the burning of hell money is only done for certain occasions such as death anniversaries and paying respect to the departed during qing ming.

He said not only Taoists cremated their departed nowadays, land scarcity and spiralling costs for tombstones and land sites were pushing other non-Muslims to opt for cremation too.

However, he said cremation of the deceased was normally done respectfully at modern crematoriums which must fulfil construction and environment regulations before they were allowed to operate.

"The conditions of the crematorium are clean and hygienic and nowhere are the ashes of the remains seen fluttering all over the air and polluting the environment like those of Nazi concentration camp victims," he said.

He also chastised PAS for "conveniently ignoring" the difference between religion and customary norms being practised in personal domains, and the intrusion of criminal codes based on faith into the public sphere and judiciary via public policy.

MCA respects Islam as the religion of the federation, he said, but PAS must also respect Article 8 of the Federal Constitution which states that there will be equal treatment before the law for both Muslims and non-Muslims for the same offence and evidence.