Objections to the proposed formation of an interfaith commission are due to sometimes irreconcilable differences between human rights and religious rights, said two of the 13 Muslim-based groups who boycotted the national conference last month.

The organisations, both members of the Allied Coordinating Committee for Islamic NGOs (Accin), argued that human rights are reconcilable with religious rights only when there is no infringement of the latter.

In an interview with malaysiakini , Islamic Outreach-Abim (IOA) former vice-president Mansor Ibrahim believes it is wrong for apostasy to be equated with human rights.

"Murtad can't be lumped as a human right... it is a religious right. There are some overlapping values between religion and human rights, but the latter will always be subject to the former," he said.

Proponents of the proposed commission have grounded their rationale in human rights, while opponents believe that the proposal is tantamount to interference with Islamic laws and teachings, particularly on the issue of apostasy.

All allegations which have been raised prior to and after the national conference have been consistently denied by the organiser or steering committee led by the Bar Council human rights sub-committee.

The steering committee sent the draft bill and supporting documents to the government for further deliberations last week.

Common values

Mansor said local and international human rights advocates should first consult religious leaders before deciding on interfaith initiatives.

"Religious leaders should be asked about ongoing interfaith efforts before human rights advocates start reporting on the progress or push for ideas to promote religious understanding," said Mansor.

Citing an example of ongoing interfaith dialogues, he said IOA has been working closely on this with St Francis Xavier church in Petaling Jaya over the last 10 years.

"We've had dialogues and attended seminars held in the church building. We even stayed over for workshop sessions at the church hostel. In fact, these are the few times that I've entered a church," he said, adding that the organiser prepared a space for Muslims to perform their prayers.

Following Accin's latest protest since 2003 against the formation of a statutory interfaith body, former chairperson Mustapha Ma called for introspection among the Malaysian Muslim community.

Defending ongoing interfaith efforts, Mustapha said he wanted to see more done by religious groups on the common platform of combating social ills and strengthening family values.

Echoing Mustapha's views, Mansor said the platform of fighting and preventing drug abuse, abandoned babies, Aids and other crimes was common ground for Malaysians of any religion.

He said such mutual values could also be promoted among youth, citing inter-religious off-campus dialogues organised by Universiti Pertanian Malaysia students between 2001 and 2003.

"It saw a good turnout of about 200 to 300 participants. We could work more on this," Mansor said.

'Work together'

Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) president Zaid Kamaruddin said the women's wing had organised two dialogues late last year.

"The sessions were on understanding the role of women in Islam and society. We've also had various sessions with other religious groups over the years," he said.

Zaid, who took over the Accin chair last year, believes that contradictions exist between human rights and Islam at a conceptual level.

"To me, there are certain areas where human rights and Islam will clash, for example, in terms of apostasy and interracial-marriages," he said.

"In fact, other religions would also have problems reconciling human rights and religious rights. For instance, what happens when rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clash with religious rules and regulations?"

Zaid said this is an area that needs to be addressed together by all religions.

"We need to work together on this because those in the West may see it as individual rights prevailing, but it is different among Asians where a community gets higher priority. To us, when a person wants to leave Islam, it is a sign that we as a community have failed."

Borrowing the words of Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Dr Rais Yatim at the opening of the national interfaith conference, he said the "jagged edges" where religion and human rights meet is where extra care is needed.

Zaid said everyone would have to exercise caution in addressing this area.

"This is where the government has to do a balancing act. Crossing over into one another's religion will always be (like stepping into) a minefield," he added.