KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Pulai MP Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub today proposed for a Religion Misuse Act (Akta Penyalahgunaan Agama) to prevent Muslim religious leaders from using sacred verses and words of Prophets to spread hate.

Salahuddin referred to the situation faced by former Religious Affairs minister and current Parit Buntar MP Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa, contrasting the situation he was in with that of his successor, former Federal Territories mufti, Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad, over a similar statement on the treatment of the sexual minorities.

“I hope an Act is formulated. The Religion Misuse Act.

“Datuk Speaker, my friend Parit Buntar, when we were in government as ministers, he was the Religious Affairs minister, and the former mufti who is now Religious Affairs minister (Senator Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri), when he commented about the LGBT group, for instance, Parit Buntar issued a statement that we have to understand them, be wise in facing these people.

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“However, the attacks he was faced with; inilah dia liberal (look, here is a liberalist), ini kalau mati besok kubur masuk neraka (if he dies tomorrow, he would go to hell), kubur besok berasap (your grave would emit smoke) and many others in which Allah’s words and the wahyu (revelation) were read together, and when the (current) Religious Affairs minister gives the same comment like Parit Buntar, that is not wrong.

“That is what I meant.  Please do not use approaches with Allah’s words whimsically,” he said adding that one does not have to label members of his party with derogatory words such as “kafir” and rain curses on them, simply because of disagreement over the stand taken by Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) leaders.

Salahuddin also hoped for a watershed over the issue, and called for the promotion of the rahmatan-lil-alamin concept of Islam, adding that non-Muslims too would feel contented and would be able to live peacefully, if such an ideology is preached.

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“I hope there can be a clear guideline so that no religious leaders use the words of Allah and the Prophet’s hadith to demean another if they do not agree with the group,” he added.

On July 10, Zulkifli Mohamad had announced on Facebook that he was empowering the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) to arrest transgender persons and “educate” them so that they “return to the right path”.

Zulkifli’s remark appeared to be in response to risqué photos on social media by cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat, which prompted the ire of some Muslim hardliners.

This led calls for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to take action on the transgender businessperson.

Transgender rights group Justice for Sisters (JFS) had also lambasted the minister, saying the remark will have hampered the religious affairs minister’s previous efforts in engaging with trans persons when he was a mufti.

In 2018, when he was then Federal Territories mufti however, Zulkifli had called on religious authorities to revisit a fatwa, or Islamic edict declaring transgenderism as un-Islamic, adding that the phenomenon is not inherently wrong.

His stand at that time, had also earned him accolades and praises from NGOs and the public.  — —