Participants at a human rights event in Penang have claimed that the ongoing Islamisation process in Malaysia is "subtle" and reflective of the insecurity of the nation's leaders towards their own race and religion.

They asserted that, due to this insecurity, the religious freedom of Malaysians is increasingly at risk and that those who resist the type of religion prescribed by the government are likely to be persecuted.

Campus minister Damian Dennis said the process of Islamisation imposed on non-Muslims - from subtle acts to blatant messages - in schools and the media are meant to influence the minds of our future generations and "keep them in check".

"Even the use of Jawi used on signboards in schools show the kind of subtle Islamisation process that is taking place to influence our kids," said Dennis, when interviewed at Amnesty International open day on Sunday. It was held at the Penang Office of Human Development, a Catholic-based organisation involved in campus ministry.

"I fear the (consequent) influence of education in homes and schools, as I've witnessed even kids displaying acts of racism against others from a different race and religion. There should be no fear if we are rooted in our own faith. Then we do not feel threatened, when someone from another religion wants to influence us."

Business consultant Gita Rusam concurred, saying that the implementors of the Islamisation process "do not believe in their own race" as there feel threatened by the actions of those who do not conform to their religious ideology.

"What is happening today is that religion is superimposed on our daily thinking. We don't realise that it is continuous education to demoralise the existence of those living in harmony," she said.

"The sublime messages become a habit, even if they are not forced upon us. It is a form of indoctrination, that at its highest point is religious extremism in a hidden format."

The Ayah Pin case

Since the late 1970s, Malaysia had upped the stakes in the Islamisation process.

This was demonstrated by the policies of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government, which produced Islamic banking, the International Islamic University and Islamic think-tanks and research centres.

Over the years, the country has also witnessed persecution of so-called Islamic deviants and the lack of political will to set up an inter-faith commission to promote inter-religious dialogues and unity.

One recent case of religious prosecution was that of self-proclaimed spiritual leader Ayah Pin who preached religious tolerance from his 'Sky Kingdom' commune in Terengganu.

The state government has destroyed the commune and the religious department has charged several followers for offences under the Islamic criminal code.

"I don't think Ayah Pin is a threat to national security. He is more like an eccentric who preaches peace and freedom. I'm not the only one saying this," said AI Penang convenor Yin Ee Kiong.

He added that "even our Muslim friends are rebelling and speaking out against such injustices", referring to non-governmental organisations like Sisters in Islam, who support religious diversity and gender rights in Islam.

SUSAN LOONE is malaysiakini's stringer in Penang.