A small, ill-informed group of Muslims are causing fear and anxiety in the country by deliberately sowing hatred and racial ill-will, accused Sisters in Islam today.

The non-governmental organisation's Zaitun Kasim said these individuals and groups were using religion to drive a wedge between the different ethnic groups in the country.

Zaitun said the latest example of this trend was the act of writing and forwarding of the malicious SMS last Sunday which nearly caused a racial incident in Ipoh, Perak.

The SMS alleged that the Mufti of Perak had disclosed that approximately 600 Muslim students of the Ungku Omar Polytechnic who had converted to Christianity were to be baptised at an Ipoh church.

As a result of the SMS, hundreds of angry Muslims had gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin, Ipoh, in an attempt to stop the baptism.

However it turned out that the function at the church that morning was actually the Holy Communion for 110 Indian children.

Regressive trend

Zaitun said that Sisters in Islam was outraged at the gathering of the protesters at the church.

"We are sorry that the intimidating actions of a small, ill-informed group of Muslims have caused fear and anxiety amongst fellow Malaysians," she said in a statement.

"The despicable act of writing and forwarding the SMS itself was designed to sow hatred and ill-will, as was the mobilising of the crowd outside the church.

"Islam, as with other religions, does not in any way condone any form of violence. We are therefore gravely disappointed that the actions of some Muslims have not only brought the religion into disrepute but have caused harm to other Malaysians," she added.

Zaitun said that the SMS incident was just yet another example in a regressive and damaging trend.

She said that in the recent past, other incidents of similar nature that sowed racial ill-will and religious tensions had happened as well.

Among them, she said, was:

  • Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria's unsubstantiated claims in February this year that 250,000 Muslims (of which 100,000 were Malays) had apostatised themselves, while 100,000 more had submitted applications to do so.

  • Harussani's declaration in June 2006 that joint celebrations, such as KongsiRaya can erode the faith of Muslims.

  • A remark by PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa in Harakah early this month that there was a 'concerted plot to convert Malays to the religion of their ancestors', i.e. Hinduism.

  • The continued false malicious lies spread about Article 11 and the proposed Interfaith Commission, two initiatives that aim to protect every person equally, regardless of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender.

Alarmist disinformation

On the Article 11 matter, Zaitun said that these groups fuelled fear amongst Muslims "that they are somehow under siege, and that they must organise to protect the religion."

She added that they used mosques, suraus and government religious machinery to perpetuate alarmist disinformation.

She went on to say that there were numerous other incidents occurring daily that propagate this alarmist attitude.

"parents not being able wear sleeveless clothes to their children's schools, non-Muslim school children being told they cannot bring 'wet food' to school, and many more," she added.

Zaitun said the government must halt this trend before it becomes "the undoing of a nation that has strived to provide a space for all Malaysians".

Meanwhile, the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) also expressed its concern over the incident which took place at the Ipoh church.

"Why should worshippers who attend church be subjected to trepidation caused by unruly mobs bent on disrupting the religious and holy ceremonies of a religious community?" it asked in a statement.

It expressed fears that such mobs may appear in other churches throughout the country soon.

The council said the government must make it clear that the rights of all religious communities to worship in peace will be respected and protected.

PM's warning

Speaking on the same matter, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted in Bernama as saying that tough action will be taken against those who sent out the misleading SMS.

"They must be penalised severely whatever their intention may have been," he said.

"I have said all along that religion is a sensitive issue and cannot be made fun of. It cannot be used to scare or shock people or for fun. This is not a joke".

The police yesterday said that they have called in one person to give statement over the SMS and will be calling in several others, including Perak Mufti Harussani.

Perak police chief Abdul Aziz Bulat said that Harussani was not a suspect in the case but will be called in as his name was among those mentioned in the SMS.

"The Perak Mufti might shed some light over the matter and assist in police investigation," he said.