It was a tag-line that did not go down well with many non-Muslims and Muslims alike at a public morality forum in Kuala Lumpur today.

The line "Unto you your religion and unto us our religion" at the end of PAS leader Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud's presentation prompted participants to urge her not to 'demonise' non-Muslims who called for Syariah laws to be reviewed when discussing public morality issues in pluralistic Malaysia.

In her paper, Siti Mariah stressed that the function of the state and religious bodies is to ensure the preservation of "the religion, life, worldly belonging, sound mind and purity of lineage" of Islam.

It also addressed the need to ensure the preservation of good morals that were compliant with Islam's traditions, by proper Syariah enforcement without the interference of other religions in Malaysia.

There was vocal opposition to her views from the audience during the question-and-answer session with some declaring that non-Muslims have the right to participate in discussions involving certain aspects of Islamic laws as Malaysia is a multi-religious and multi-cultural nation.

"There is only a small part of Islamic jurisprudence left for us. This is our last bastion to protect public morality. If there is disagreement in the Syariah laws, it should be addressed intra-religiously," said the PAS Dewan Muslimat information chief.

The forum entitled 'Enforcing Public Morality' was organised by the Liberal Forum Malaysia - an offshoot of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

Religious conscience

It came hot on the heels of the increasingly heated debate on whether moral policing should continue in predominantly-Muslim Malaysia.

The Federal Territory PAS Youth division recently called for heads to be rolled after women's rights organisation Sisters In Islam (SIS) handed in a memorandum, in their anti-moral police campaign, to the government asking them to curb enforcement officers' abuses.

In her opening presentation, SIS executive director Zainah Anwar said that citizens' private behaviour should not be morally policed and punished on the basis of religious values and teachings but left to the religious conscience of the individual.

"In a country where Islam is used as a source of law and public policy, those in religious authority can no longer claim monopoly over the interpretation and meaning of Islam," she added.

Assertions from both corners were well supported by the audience - many of whom had plenty to say but could not do so due to time constraints.

Rights denied

One participant, a Chinese Malaysian lawyer who said she works closely with Muslims, implored Muslims and the powers-that-be not to deny her and other non-Muslims the right to comment on Islamic issues.

"There are certain sectors who want to separate us (Malaysians) using religion as an excuse. I am a tax-paying citizen. Don't deny me the right to know you. All laws should be fair and just and applicable to all - as Malaysian," said Felicia Ling.

Ling asserted that a non-Muslim should not be reprimanded or taken to task for commenting on issues which involved Malay Malaysians (who are predominantly Muslims).

She also debunked assertions that Syariah laws do not effect non-Muslims by referring to directives in Kelantan where women are made to abide by dress codes dictated by the PAS government.

Former UN rapporteur Param Cumarasamy was also a panellist at the forum which also noted the presence of Kota Bahru MP and prominent lawyer Zaid Ibrahim.