DAP rep believes Barisan’s use of Islam has Malays in a chokehold

 Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari said that Barisan Nasional uses religious conservatism to ensure the Malays are dependent on Putrajaya. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Raiezal, September 27, 2014.

Barisan Nasional (BN) uses religious conservatism to ensure that the Malays remain dependent on the “protection” afforded by Putrajaya, an opposition lawmaker said today.

“The clampdown by Islamic authorities on ideologies such as secularism and liberalism is part of Putrajaya's tactics to preserve BN's dominance," Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari said.

"DAP practises social secularism, PKR is based on pragmatic secularism, while PAS practises an ideology which is both Islamic and secular."

Zairil, who is also Penang Institute chief executive officer, said BN preferred religious conservatism to maintain its ideological monopoly over Malaysians.

He was speaking at the “Symposium on Islam, Democracy and Secularism”, held at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

"Greater freedom does not pose any threat or problems to Islam. But Putrajaya is afraid of what secular and liberal freedom will bring," Zairil said.

"Without their ideological monopoly over the public, BN will lose their political legitimacy and hence, their authority.”

He argued that secularism and liberalism were actually philosophies which would strengthen Islam, but BN had instead given it a negative aspect.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said Islam was being threatened by humanism, secularism, liberalism and human rights.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) had also warned Muslims, in a special sermon during Hari Raya, of conspiracies by “enemies of Islam”.

“Our faith is threatened through the spread of deviant teachings, anti-Hadith, modern thought and ideology such as capitalism, materialism, liberalism, pluralism, secularism, communism and negative aspects that have influenced Muslims so easily.

“Not only that, we have also been shaken by the issue of apostasy and attempts to make Muslims apostates.

"We are pressured by the culture of excessive freedom such as sex festivals, gays, lesbians, free sex and the like.”

Zairil said the signing of the Pangkor Treaty in 1874 resulted in the myth of Malay identity being lost without a champion to protect it.

"This caused the government to assume the role of the defender and champion of the Malay-Muslim culture."

- TMI