I agree wholeheartedly with the words of Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad in his letter What ails Muslims in Malaysia? Living in a country where Islam is espoused to be the national religion, and where there is no suppression or discrimination towards it, it's a wonder that there are still individuals clamouring for a state in which moral behaviour is pushed down one's throat.

Religion, or rather its practice, by its very nature is not something that can be forced upon an individual. Something as intrinsic as a faith in the Almighty only comes with individual acceptance, and this is also stated in the Quran, where you have various levels of faith blind faith being at the bottom of the list, and coercion being frowned upon in the first place.

At a time when PAS is arguing that the ISA is against universal rights, it is confusing and a tad bit hypocritical that their youth leader has come up with proposals with monitor the behaviour of 'immoral' individuals that are a 'danger' to society. A fine example of 'double think' that would have made Orwell proud.

Who sets the rules? They can't even come up with a comprehensive Syariah law despite all these years in Kelantan, and even if one was to pop up, can one be so arrogant as to say that their interpretation of the Quran is the correct one, and everyone else will have to follow suit?

Ahli PAS Bangsar stated that any 'weapon' necessary should be used for one's cause if the playing field is uneven. So, instead of debating and resolving in a more intellectual discourse, is it acceptable if one resorts to violence and demonstrations and a breakdown of society?

This sort of attitude is indeed alarming where does one draw the line? It is all fine and dandy to preach the correctness of one's interpretations of things, but if a large number in our society disagrees with you, that does not give you the right to seek other means of convincing them. Perhaps a little bit of introspection is needed.

We live in a peaceful society with only the occasional skirmishes, and like the majority of the population, I prefer living in such an environment. I disagree with the statement that they don't have enough avenues to express themselves a lot of the sermons I've listened to at mosques had PAS ideology underlining them.

They (PAS) are free to preach their brand of Islam, and movements (such as Hizbi in the UK) actively seek out new members and organise 'usrahs' that once again, seek to promote their understanding of Islam.

Ahli PAS Bangsar was wrong to state that nobody was angry when the 'reformasi' bandwagon rolled into town. There is a difference between reformation and revolution, and this was lost upon the individuals involved.

At the end of the day, moral authority does not rest upon any one individual or organisation. And more importantly, one should not be placed in a position where one's behaviour is dictated by those who perceive their views to be correct.

Policing criminal behaviour and monitoring the moral aspect of society may not be mutually exclusive, but a clear distinction of the power of the various parties involved (e.g. the police, Jawi) should be made in order to prevent any confusion.

Nobody wants to see this escalate into a 'I'm-holier-than-thou war' between Umno and PAS. And we have to bear the interests of our non-Muslim brethren in mind as well, because where does it end?

One fine day, someone will say that everyone should be judged according to one interpretation of the Quran. To do otherwise would condemn you to the seventh level of hell.