JAN 4 — Let us be very clear about the sides in this rotten situation. 

Certain members of Umno and its newest attack dogs — these manifold NGOs of dubious origin and purpose, who seem able to lodge report after police report and get them to act, regardless of whether the actions reported are criminal or not — are on one side.

Everyone else, as far as I can see, is on the other.

You can argue that the silence so far on the part of quite a few politicians — most notably dear leader Najib Razak — is indication of complicity. But let’s be charitable. It could also just be a complete lack of balls at addressing its own extremists and the over-cynical calculation of how to lose the least votes and gain more in this affair. After all I’ve yet to see PKR leaders say very much either in the press. And even if that political cynicism is only very slightly better than blind religious fervour, I’ll take it. 

So please let no one cast this as oppression of Christians by Muslims, because it certainly isn’t.

If you needed it, a raft of Muslim voices have already spoken out against Jais’s actions. And, although a part of me is worried — worried a majority might agree that syariah law should trump the constitution, that they believe churches in the peninsula and The Herald shouldn’t use the word “Allah”, even though there may be Orang Asli and East Malaysians living in the peninsula, who have done so for decades — I am not just going to assume they do. 

What we need are not just Muslim voices, but a groundswell of them. We need the majority to speak up, even if it is to debate the issue and disagree, rather than stay silent. Because silence enables these extremists to say they speak for the majority. And I don’t believe they do.

If you look back at a number of recent events you’ll notice the same mode of operation being employed again and again: an NGO or a number of NGOs lodge police reports about supposed threats to Islam and, somehow, the police act, even though you would imagine they have higher priorities to attend to.

Those bloody fools Alvivi; that poor dog trainer arrested for the YouTube video of her and her dogs; the complaint against artist J Anu’s “I is for Idiot” (though the new irony conferred on that work is delicious); and, more recently, the demonisation of Mat Sabu as “Shia” as well as the persecution of various Shias.

What is all this if not the work of swaggering school bullies, picking on individuals or groups of minorities less able to defend themselves? It is, really, this quality of cowardliness that makes my blood boil.

Maybe it’s too obvious to point out that first on Umno’s list of priorities for the next election, as stated at their annual assembly, was — guess what? — religion!

Or to also to mention that Home Minister Ahmad Zahid only a few weeks ago mooted the possibility of teaming police with religious authorities to act against the so-called Shia threat. 

Now that the Shia threat seems to have dropped out of sight, like the “Grade-A evidence” for Mat Sabu being Shia, perhaps they thought it best not to waste the momentum.

Regardless. I am watching Sunday with great interest. 

Already I have read calls by Muslims for Muslims to come and protect church-goers at Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang, where some of these grade C thugs have threatened to protest. 

The police have assured Father Lawrence and church-goers they will be protected, and warned against the protest.

Even lesser worms in the government have come forward to protest, albeit slowly and lacklustrely.

I am not religious at all but this, surely, is a test of good faith if there is any. 

Let none of us be found lacking.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.