KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 ― Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (MCCBCHST) today urged all religious communities to refrain from any action that would cause hostility to other people when propagating their faith.
The council said in a statement today, such action includes through preaching, teaching, religious literature and the programmes promotion in the public domain.
“We, who represent the various religious communities of Malaysia hereby, affirm and renew our commitment to preserve and promote interfaith understanding and harmony in order to maintain the peaceful coexistence of our multi-religious population,” it said.
MCCBCHST added that it denounced any attempt to convert others by coercion or by unethical means.
This, the council said, included forcing someone to attend any religious function against their will, ridiculing other religions by name, entering into someone's home or approach them on the street unless at the person’s welcome.
It also condemned the action of denying humanitarian help on condition they convert, as well as distributing religious literature in the vicinity of worship house of other religions or during a religious festival.
“We pledge as we face rapid changes in a fast changing and interconnected world where religious sentiments can easily be played up for political and ideological ends, that we shall always strive to exercise our religious activities with an utmost sense of social responsibility,” it added.
