Today, conservative Muslims and wannabe clerics do the religious equivalent of blinding one with science. They litter their speeches with Arabic and line their policies with tongue-twisting theological phrases, to convince the masses that they are super religious or brilliant.

Nothing could be further from the truth. It is doubtful that many Malays can comprehend what they are saying, and some Malaysians would probably agree that quantum mechanics would be easier to understand. On July 2, one of the most oppressive bills to be tabled in Parliament, the Federal Territories Mufti Bill 2024, had its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar introduced the bill and unsurprisingly, few of us paid any attention to it. This is probably because every other day, at least one religious issue will dominate the news, despite there being more important priorities to focus on.

Sweeping powers

Next week, the bill will have its second and third reading in Parliament, before it is voted on and made into law. This time, it must not escape our intense scrutiny yet again. When it was first tabled, few of us were aware. Had Muslim MPs been lobbied to support this oppressive bill, while non-Muslim MPs had no clue what it was all about?

You should be worried about this bill because it represents a fundamental attack on our personal freedom and our democracy. If passed, the bill will give unprecedented sweeping powers to unelected officials to dictate what we can, or cannot do.

Enslaved by religion

Months earlier, the Umno Baru Youth leader, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh warned non-Muslims not to interfere with Islamic matters.

So, were the halal issues at the time, being used as a smokescreen for laying the groundwork to silence any opposition by non-Muslim MPs towards this controversial bill? Na’im, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan, are trying to make out that the bill is relatively harmless.

Malaya may have achieved Merdeka 67 years ago, but Muslims are still enslaved by religion. The Malay mind is mummified and shaped by ignorance and dogma, while the non-Malays have been browbeaten into submission and silence. The government will attempt to push this bill before the rakyat realises how serious the matter is. These are the worst bits of the bill.

The bill is unconstitutional and our blind submission to it will mean that we transition from a democracy to authoritarian rule in Malaysia. The bill is divisive, it gives unelected people, like the muftis, whose qualifications we do not know, absolute control over our lives. Will the muftis have more power than the king when it comes to religious matters?

Interpretation of fatwa

Although we know that a fatwa is merely an opinion, this is after all Malaysia, and the fatwa will be interpreted according to the whims of these muftis. They will have over-arching powers to sanction anyone whom they think has broken the fatwa. The fatwa will be set in stone just like any law that has been passed.

At the same time, the same unelected muftis will be immune from prosecution. What sort of governance is this? Lives may be destroyed, but these muftis will escape punishment. When one state adopts it, others will follow suit, including Sarawak and Sabah.

You may not think it, but the bill will have serious consequences because it is a clash between two sets of laws, civil and syariah. In 1988, two significant amendments to Article 1216 of the Federal Constitution were made. Our supreme law is the Federal Constitution, but ever since 1988, the powers and jurisdiction of the syariah courts have slowly been expanded beyond the limits permitted by the Constitution.

In October 2024, the syariah courts will overstep their boundaries yet again, and the civil courts will be powerless to stop them because of the way Article 121(1A) has been interpreted.

Non-Muslims also impacted

Despite what the non-Muslims will have been told, the bill will affect us all, both Muslims and non-Muslims.

There are some notable critics of this bill besides Sisters in Islam and some high-profile lawyers. Perlis ruler Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail objected to the use of the Council of Rulers’ name to support the bill. Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, another critic, warned about Sunni sectarianism and that “rigidity would lead to fanaticism and hatred between the people and the government”.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang wanted the bill to be reviewed and he criticised the need for an “official” Islamic strain. When the Perlis ruler objected, Anwar said the experts would deliberate on the matter.

Controlling dissent

In 21st-century Malaysia, this is how the rakyat is kept strictly in line. Politicians control dissent by bullying us with draconian laws, while the muftis claim to save our souls via fire-and-brimstone sermons, promises of rewards in heaven, and threats of endless punishment in hell.

In a nutshell, both politicians and clergy carve up the nation for themselves. They enter into a marriage of convenience because they need one another to maintain their hold on power, and specifically to control you. We thought that Na’im was one of the more “progressive” syariah judges. We were wrong.

Was Na’im under instruction to implement this bill as part of the bigger plan to Islamise Malaysia? Or is the FT Mufti Bill 2024 part of Anwar’s unfinished business? Is he merely completing what he started in 1982 but was unable to finalise because he was ousted from office in 1998?

Koel : By all accounts this is a backward step as Mariam says to allow the muftis and politicians total control. Overnight, rules will be introduced - and it will be for the worse. People need to urge their MPs to stop the bill. Sabah and Sarawak, please step up. This will hit you as well.