KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The Royal Selangor Golf Club’s (RSGC) acquiescence to pressure for it to cancel an event featuring an Islamic scholar will encourage religious authorities to make further demands of it, said a former minister today.

Commenting on the RSGC’s confirmation that it will not host US-based scholar Nader Hashemi next month after local religious authorities expressed consternation over the event, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim also claimed the decision will embolden the same authorities to seek a greater say in the club’s operations.

"RSGC’s able leadership of Tan Sri Abu Talib will never succumb to pressures from outside in deciding what sort of prog [sic] they can host within club premises

"The busy bodies, if given an inch, will ask for the whole body of RSGC where all Club Rules will be subject to their approval. Members need to take this view seriously,” he wrote on Twitter today.

The club yesterday told the Free Malaysia Today news portal that it would stop holding any religious-themed events to avoid further antagonising local religious authorities.

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) last month branded Indonesian scholar Mun’im Sirry as a religious deviant following a talk by him at the RSGC.

Separately, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) caused the arrest of Turkish author Mustafa Akyol, also after an event hosted by the same club. It accused him of lecturing without the needed credentials.

Jawi also summoned the founder of the Islamic Renaissance Front over Akyol’s alleged offence.