What makes a gathering ‘halal’?

Why is a gathering calling for the government to be more effective and responsible considered ‘haram‘?

FMT LETTERS

By Mohammad Fakhrurrazi

On Saturday, August 1st 2015, youth and student activists came together for a #TangkapNajib rally.

Even before the rally, student activists were pre-emptively arrested. During the protests anyone who shouted ‘Tangkap Najib!” was also arrested. All in the name of ‘public harmony, security and peace’

This leaves me to ask “Why is a gathering of people who are calling for the government to be more effective and responsible considered haram? What makes a gathering haram? Is there a list of characteristics for a protest and assembly to be considered as halal.

In the past, a peaceful protester by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King showed modern civil society that protest without violence is not only possible but also an effective way to bring about change. This sentiment is shared by most social movements around the globe, as in Malaysia.

Students activists in the “Tangkap Najib!” protest came peacefully. Their focus was not just on Najib Razak. They wanted to show their displeasure in the way the country was being run. They wanted to ask for a more accountable and transparent government. They protested for a better Malaysia.

What is haram about that?

Mohammad Fakhrurrazi is an FMT reader