Religious and Racial Hatred Act soon?

> Govt to protect all religions, not just Islam, from insults: Mujahid

KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to introduce a Religious and Racial Hatred Act in the near future in to protect Islam and other religions in the country from insults and slurs.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said while the decision was made in light of various cases of insults made against Islam, the proposed act will not be exclusive to the religion.

“The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government intends to table a bill on (enacting) the Religious and Racial Hatred Act soon, where actions can be taken under this act, not only against those who insult Islam, but also against (those who insult) other religions.

“This is to ensure insults and slurs against any race and religion in the country is forbidden,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

The minister in charge of religious affairs was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau) on what actions were being taken by the government to address the issues of attacks made against Islam on social media.

Mujahid, however, did not elaborate on the specifics of the act nor the timeframe when it could be implemented.

The supplementary question was a follow-up on Ismail’s main question as to what extent the government would go to ensure that the sanctity of Islam is protected in accordance with Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution.

In response to the main question, Mujahid said the specific article clearly states Islam remains the number one religion in the country, while noting that there are several other articles that also supported this provision.

“Based on this provision, it is clear that Article 3(1) has acknowledged the position of Islam as the federal religion, and all quarters must respect this.

“This is to encourage unity as well as create peace and harmony, regardless of race, ethnicity and religion,” he said.

Mujahid also noted that while Islam remains the federal religion, other religions should be allowed to be practised freely.

BERNAMAPIX ... Nur Wardhiya Eisha Firdaus Azim, four, (bottom) and his friends from Shah Alam eagerly flying the Jalur Gemilang yesterday in conjunction with the upcoming 61st Independence Day celebration.