Here’s Sdr Badrol Hisham’s latest email to me on Islam and the freedom of expression:

Dear Mr. Jonson,

I’m quite surprised to note that you still respect Dato’ Ahmad Ismail rights to say that non-Malays in Malaysia are “kaum pendatang”. I’m just wonders if somebody insulting your mother, will you respect their rights to say or express it? Don’t you have any dignity to defend of?

If the Malays are free to insult the non-Malays and vice versa, there will be no harmonious relation among different races in our country and similarly if the Muslims are free to insult other religions and vice versa, there will be no better understanding between different religions in our country. Freedom must be come with responsibility.

The main topic of our discussions is freedom of speech and expression. I don’t know why you keep harping on the issue of qualified people. Anyway, I’d like to recap what Y.B. Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang had said recently, “When talking about aerospace, you ask somebody from NASA, not someone in Somalia”. If you still don’t understand, I’ve no idea how else can I explain to you.

You should not compare Islam with Christianity or any other philosophy. Islam is a complete and perfect religion which was revealed by God Almighty to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 1,400 years ago for all mankind. In Islam, we are encouraged to read the holy book Koran, understand and practised it with the guidance from Hadis, Ijtimak Ulamak and Qias. The question is whether we (the Muslims) follow it or not.

Some Muslims have deviant from Islamic teaching either by their act, view, thinking, approach, etc. So, I don’t see any need to comment to the so called progressive Islamic thinker that you mentioned in your blog.

I’ve told you clearly that the reason I asked you to remove my emails from your blog is because I’m afraid that some party will only use it to attack and degrade Islam. My afraid seems to be correct.

Anyway, I hope that one day you will be able to find the TRUTH in your life.

For Ms. Alice, I’ve full confidence in my belief and can take any amount of criticism. However, I can’t tolerate anybody who insult or discredit my religion.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards,
Badrol Hisham
Kuala Lumpur

P/S: Mr Jonson, you can post this last email from me in your blog.

By the way, when I said justice for the Chinese and the Muslims, it is only as reference to the Dato’ Ahmad Ismail and Sisters In Islam cases. Sorry to confuse you. Justice is for all. So does Islam. God bless you.

Res ipsa loquitur.

P.S. Please read this post in the context of the previous postings: Engaging a Muslim on Islam & the Freedom of Expression and Engaging a Muslim on Islam & the Freedom of Expression 2

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) is gravely concerned with the trend of deaths in police custody. Not only are the deaths increasingly frequent but they also seem to be happening only to suspects from a particular racial community.

Although the police have asked the public not to speculate on the latest death in custody of A. Ganana Prakasom, KEADILAN hopes that both the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Home Affairs will seriously look into this matter before it becomes a full-blown racial issue in our country, which is already divided along racial lines.

Indeed, in light of the Prime Minister’s attempts to promote the concept of One Malaysia, the authorities must ensure that no community, regardless of race, religion, gender or economic status, is sidelined or ill-treated.

Moreover, the fact that most, if not all, of the deaths in police custody are happening to Indian Malaysians reflect the reality that they have not been able to advance either socially or economically.

The federal government must recognise that this is not only an issue of crime or law and order, but also one that requires an urgent government policy to assist the Indian community in Malaysia to overcome the social and economic realities faced by them.

If the Umno-Barisan Nasional government is serious about the people being the first priority, they should take real steps to resolve this matter holistically and stop trying to cover-up the real causes of these deaths in custody.

* Written in the capacity of Communications Director of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

Here’s Sdr BH’s [author's name removed] reply to my email response to him:

[Email removed upon the request of the author. My reply remains below.]

Well, instead of just sending emails back and forth, I think it’s better for us to discuss openly about this concept of qualified freedom of speech.

I may not agree with Dato’ Ahmad Ismail calling non-Malays “kaum pendatang”, but I respect his right to say it. Similarly, he ought to respect my right to call him a bigot and a racist.

No matter how difficult it is to accept what others have to say, we must always respect their right to say it. We don’t have to respect the person, the organisation or even their point of view, we just have to respect their right to express it. As Voltaire, a French philosopher, once said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”

Similarly, Sdr BH [author's name removed], I do not agree with what you’re saying but I’m more than happy to publish what you’ve got to say on my blog.

On another point, I think we should really question the restrictions on who “qualifies” to study, analyse and discuss principles of religions, or philosophies for that matter. Are religious principles sacrosanct and “lay people” should be prohibited from espousing their views about them? If that is so, then philosophical principles ought not be discussed by any “lay people” except so-called qualified philosophers, too.

I’m sorry but this reminds me too much of the Roman Catholic Church that had a monopoly on God in the middle ages. In those days, lay people were not able to read the scriptures and think for themselves what those scriptures meant. Indeed, they had to literally buy penance from priests. Thankfully, there were reformists like Martin Luther that reformed Christianity.

Similarly, there was a progressive Islamic thinker by the name of Mahmoud Mohamed Taha that took a different approach towards Islam. Unfortunately, he was executed by the Sudanese government for heresy. For a living example of a progressive Islamic thinker, google Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im (or just click on his name to read the entry on Wikipedia).

By the way, justice is for all, and I don’t think there’s a need to specify any race or religion.

I received the following email in response to my statement on PAS’ resolution on Sisters In Islam:

[Email removed upon the request of the author.]

This was my response:

Dear Sdr BH [author's name removed],

Salam,
Jonson

Your comments are most welcome…

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) does not agree with the resolution of its coalition partner, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), at its recent party conference calling for the National Fatwa Council to declare the non-governmental organisation, Sisters in Islam (SIS), as haram (forbidden) if its activities is found to be contrary to Islamic teachings and principles.

KEADILAN reiterates its respect for the rights to freedom of expression and association, both of which are fundamental liberties enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, as well as internationally recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As such, they ought to protected, if not promoted, despite diverging views on Islamic teachings and Syariah in Malaysia.

The rights to freedom of association and expression are fundamental human rights that are not only essential for human dignity but also a progressive and democratic society. Any differences in views ought to be tolerated and/or debated, rather than calling for a ban on the organisation that espouses different opinions.

Moreover, religion or religious views are very personal matters, and they ought not be strictly regulated by the authorities. Instead, every individual ought to study and analyse their own beliefs, which leads to a better understanding of their own religions, if not a stronger faith in their own beliefs.

Last but not least, Malaysia is a pluralistic society – we need to accept that it is natural to have differing views and opinions between religions and cultures and also within the same religions and cultures. KEADILAN believes that the goal for all Malaysians should be a progressive and democratic society, where diverse views are tolerated and debated; not a regressive and undemocratic society where diversity is condemned and rejected.

* Written in the capacity of Communications Director of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.