1. IKLAN PERCUMA MALAYSIA (http://iklanpercumamalaysia.blogspot.com)
Khalid Samad, asked for public discourse in church, 4 April 2008
Partai Islam SeMalaysia or PAS often conveys a fundamentalist, hard-line image to non-Muslims. Getting behind the rhetoric, Insider's DEBRA CHONG shows there's a more engaging, even openly embracing, side to some PAS politicians.
"BETTER the devil you know than the angel you don't". Those familiar with this phrase by Ethiopian satirist Hama Tutu usually hear it advocated in the face of change, when those in power anticipate a revolt.
In Shah Alam, however, some 2,000 Christians have learnt that it's better to embrace the unknown entity than to put up with and suffer a known demon.
On March 27, Khalid Abdul Samad became the first elected Muslim Member of Parliament to step into the Roman Catholic Church of the Divine Mercy since it was completed in 2005. The congregation gave him a standing ovation.
Perhaps more stunning is that Khalid is from Parti Islam SeMalaysia and was the one to initiate contact. And he reassured the Christians in attendance that they could continue to use the word "Allah" in their worship without fear of persecution. Previously, the federal government had banned Christians from using the word "Allah" in referring to God in their worship for fear that it would confuse the Muslim Malays and lead them astray from Islam. Bibles printed in the national language were also seized. This was reversed sometime last year, but the damage was already done. Khalid said that in all Arabic-speaking communities, "Allah" just means "God", therefore it is not "unique to Islam". He had once attended church in the Middle East and heard a Christian priest preach in Arabic with no trouble. "For us, the problem is we're not an Arabic-speaking country. Therefore some people question why non-Muslims have to use this word when it is not really necessary. People then make all sorts of speculations about idealogy. But there's no reason for the word to be banned from Christian worship. We're quite happy if people use it.
"It's not just my personal opinion but is consistent with the party's view. Basically it shouldn't be any problem. And I made it quite clear to the people in church that night," Khalid explained over the phone yesterday.
The parishioners were especially impressed that Khalid was the one who approached them."It was his own initiative. He contacted our parish priest, Father Paulino Miranda, and said he wanted to come and talk to us," Joseph Victor, chairman of the church's parish pastoral council told The Malaysian Insider on behalf of Fr Paulino who is away on sabbatical till April 18.
"That's a good sign. Everybody was very happy. This is the first time a Pas MP is coming to a Catholic church. It shows they're not against Catholic churches," he added.
It was the first time an MP for Shah Alam had, unasked and unaided, actively engaged the non-Muslim community in public discourse in their own backyard, at least on this side of the peninsula. It spurred a parishioner, Tony Yew, to blog about the experience on his website (www.muststopthis.blogspot.com).
"What was evident from the points raised by those who could get their voices heard was crystal clear, abundance of local council issues and the fear of 'subtle religious' persecution.
"With no one to turn to, YB Khalid took all the questions one by one and stressed that the newly-formed coalition government of PKR-Pas-DAP (in no order) was one of consensus by nature," he wrote.
But Khalid was quick to disclaim credit for the unprecedented move. He said the discourse was made possible because of the mixed effort on both sides.
"Our people working in the (Shah Alam) area heard that the parish priest was campaigning for change in the elections and advocated the congregation to use their votes to bring about change," said Khalid.
He recounted that he wanted to speak to them, to thank them for giving the Oposition their mandate for change. "I tried my best to answer most of the questions. We talked about government policies, about discrimination – there shouldn't be any! – enforcement and implementation, which would require more detailed explanations, but I just talked about it in short."
A 9-minute video clip of the dialogue has been made availble on YouTube.
2. Associated Press (http://ap.google.com)
Muslim Official Visits Church, Temples, 2 April 2008
by Sean Yoong
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A lawmaker from Malaysia's Islamic opposition party said Wednesday he made rare visits to a church and temples to help assure non-Muslim minorities about their religious rights.Khalid Abdul Samad, a Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party lawmaker, said he wanted to ease suspicions among non-Muslims that his party seeks to curb their religious freedoms.
"It's time to set the record straight," Khalid told The Associated Press. "We respect the rights of non-Muslims. There's no plan to stifle other religions or create problems for them."
Non-Muslims have been upset in recent years about how the government has handled religious issues, including the demolition of Hindu temples, a ban on the word Allah from Malay-language Christian literature, and court judgments favoring Muslims in disputes with non-Muslims.Khalid's visit to the Christian church and two Hindu temples last week was a rare move by a Muslim politician. Many of Malaysia's Muslim public figures have been wary of appearing in places of worship other than mosques, fearing criticism by conservative Muslims. A few politicians have made such visits discreetly.
Khalid's party has long alienated minorities with its call for a hard-line theocratic state. But it toned down its religious rhetoric and allied itself with two secular, multiethnic opposition groups for elections last month.
Together, the three parties won more than one-third of the parliamentary seats and the control of five state legislatures in an unprecedented setback for the ruling coalition.
The result was partly attributed to frustrations among minorities including Buddhists, Christians and Hindus — who comprise about 40 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people — about what they considered an erosion of their freedom of worship.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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