YOURSAY | ‘Any teachers/preachers/ulamas who creates racial tension should be axed.’

'Haram' hairdresser: Penang authorities to probe preacher

Ravinder: Penang Islamic Affairs exco Abdul Malik Kassim said preacher Shahul Hamid Seeni Muhammad would be probed under the state's religious laws, in the wake of video clips reportedly depicting Shahul Hamid lectures in 2015 making the rounds online of late.

“Abdul Malik said the state Islamic council is currently investigating if Shahul Hamid has been authorised to preach or teach Islam in Penang. He added that to preach or teach Islam, a religious teacher or preacher must first obtain a certificate from the Penang Islamic Affairs Council.”

Does it mean that if Shahul Hamid had a certificate to preach or teach Islam, what he said would be correct? Is there any monitoring of the certified teachers/preachers of Islam?

How is it done to ensure they do not instigate the Muslims to say or not to say or do things that hurt the cultural, racial and religious sensitivities of the local communities, which can lead to tension between the different races?

Shahul said those things two years ago and the Penang Islamic Affairs Council knew nothing about it until a video of the “lesson” surfaced recently in the public domain.

This is frightening, as it could mean that the council has not been monitoring the teachers/preachers while radical Islam is raising its ugly head.

Like the Sultan of Selangor's order, every lecture/lesson/sermon in Penang should be recorded. Any teachers/preachers/ulamas who creates racial tension should be axed.

FellowMalaysian: Indeed, as the state exco member in charge of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Malik Kassim should be more proactive rather than dish out the usual rhetoric by telling us what the Islamic Affairs Council can do and that a probe has been initiated.

Shahul Hamid's sermons are deleterious to our multi-faceted and multi-cultural societies and his speech will invidiously affect race-relations in the country.

This preacher shares the same traits and DNA as controversial preacher Zamihan Mat Zin, but instead of discouraging non-Muslims from using service outlets meant for 'Muslims-only', Shahul is stopping Muslims from patronising business outlets and institutions operated by non-Muslims, though these are legitimately-operated businesses.

Prompt and firm action by the Islamic Affairs Council is called for and the state government must not be seen as pussy-footing on the issue as GE14 is around the corner.

Mano: Why was there no action for two years till the video made the rounds recently? Can the opposition MPs, especially the Muslim MPs, openly take a stand on this issue?

Hamzah Paiman: A Form 6 boy was charged for insulting a royalty but an ustaz with a "lesen besar" who had allegedly insulted a sultan and also spewed hatred towards another race was not even charged.

Now we have another ustaz spewing hatred. No action, again. This is Malaysia. Two sets of law for two different categories of people. The upper caste and the lower caste.

So how do we expect the world to respect us anymore? These are all signs of the decadence of leadership. Very sad indeed.

Kangkung: Zamihan and Shahul Hamid will now be the most sought-after preachers. As they subscribe to the Islamic State's ideology, they will be seen as the 'purest' preachers.

The level of religious extremism will only continue to rise thanks to the leader who is not showing any leadership. His only concern is getting himself re-elected to save himself from going to prison.

Do we give in to terror or oppose it?

David Dass: If we give in to terror, we become the society they want us to become. If we give in to terror, we empower those who subscribe to the objectives of the terrorists.

If we give in to terror, we undermine the rule of law, our democracy, our constitution and the effectiveness of our law enforcement agencies. If we give in to terror, we lose our freedoms and become a radically different society where fear of the terrorists dogs our footsteps.

In our particular context, the rule of the rakyat as expressed through our parliamentary system is replaced with the rule of the terrorists - in whatever guise or form they take. All our democratic institutions and processes will be at risk.

If we give in to terror, we fail to address the root causes of terrorism. If we give in to terror, we create the conditions for internal conflict and external isolation.

It is clear from the actions of our enforcement agencies that we are not giving in to terror. Unfortunately, some of our policies and actions are ambiguous.

It is almost as if raising the spectre of terror provides justification for repressive laws and harsh enforcement. A more balanced and apolitical approach is required.

Drngsc: Yes, we have a real problem here. The government thinks that using religion as a political tool is easy and free of dangers.

That is simply not true. Especially when it comes to extremist religions, often vaguely disguised as a "wolf" in sheep's clothing.

This government even allows religious teachings to be done in “sekolah pondok”, where there is essentially no control. It is alleged that many of these schools are funded by funds from overseas, given as "donations", to spread extremist ideology in "madrassa" like manner.

This government must wake up. Our radicalised terrorists have become famous in Marawi and other parts of Southeast Asia. I hope that the government will re-look and re-think their using of religion for political gains.

We must clean up our prisons (which help in the proliferation of extremism among inmates), stop these mushrooming of unlicensed religious schools and stop the flow of "donations" to these schools.

Existential Turd: There is no such thing as a liberal Muslim. To be a Muslim is to be totally subservient to Allah, his Prophet and those who proclaim to speak on their behalf.

If anyone dares to think and question their interpretation, they are branded as deviant. To be a Muslim is to be pure in practice and militant in proselytising. A liberal Muslim is not a true Muslim...

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