Insult, intolerance, insensitivity & idiocy: A study of JAKIM, a billion ringgit taxpayer funded organisation which excels in wasting the rakyat’s money.

If one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure, then in racially charged Malaysia, one person’s comment is often an insult.

Recently, JAKIM said that it would monitor social media for insults to Islam and to prophet Mohamad.

Is it an insult to suggest that a billion ringgit taxpayer funded organisation, could make better use of the rakyat’s money, instead of paying men in robes to monitor cyberspace for real or perceived insults?

The money could have paid for increased public awareness, for needy people like the woman who was divorced, then sacked by her firm. If she had known zakat funds were available, she and her six children could have avoided living in a car for four months.

We criticise former PMs who swear on the Koran, in a mosque, to “prove their innocence”. Isn’t it an insult to make a circus of the holy book?

Isn’t it an insult when corrupt leaders hijack Islam to manipulate Muslims?

When Malaysians speak out against child brides, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or polygamy, they are not criticising Islam, but urge the reform of some practices, for living in 21st Century Malaysia.

Children have rights. Women are not breeding machines and FGM has no health benefits but are accompanied by long lasting physical, psychological scars and sometimes, death. After divorce, many Malay husbands fail to provide for their children. Is it an insult to criticise the manner in which Islam is interpreted and practised in Malaysia?

Few including non-Muslims, are against the sacrificial slaughter of animals (korban) to mark Hari Raya Haji. However, many people, including Muslims object to the slaughter in unhygienic conditions, especially in schools. Can’t we be sensitive to the children of other faiths. It is traumatic watching live animals being slaughtered. So, is it an insult to criticise Muslim insensitivity?

When Malaysians complain about the frequency and loudness of the daily prayer broadcasts, some Malays accuse the non-Malay of insulting Islam. This is not an insult. This is noise pollution.

Malaysians have no issue with the azan call to prayer, but they are against the use of powerful loudspeakers and the extended broadcasts which continue for several hours. Some start in the early hours of the morning, whilst others extend late into the night.

Few people, including Muslims, dare complain for fear of “insulting Islam” and some conservative Muslims forget that community living means mutual respect.

After 63 years of brainwashing and stereotyping of the different races, we now view one another with suspicion. We are often told to mind our language, or act with extreme sensitivity, so as not to upset the Malays/Muslims.

Crucifixes and hymn books were removed from a Church Hall, when the disgraced Najib Abdul Razak had tea with the former Archbishop of KL, Murphy Pakiam, at Christmas in 2010.

Crucifixes and hymn books do not insult Muslims, but removing them was a show of arrogance to show (Malay/Muslim) superiority. Perhaps, it really shows the inferiority of these insecure Malays/Malaysian Muslims.

Some Muslims are upset when beer accompanies a meal, or when an altar to the Kitchen God is visible in a restaurant. They have no qualms when beef has been ordered, and they simply tell their Hindu guests, “Just push the meat to the side of your plate”. Isn’t tolerance a two-way street?

Why is questioning the government seen as an insult? Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad used the ISA to detain those who criticised his administration. Today, the advent of social media, means that any wrongdoing can be made public within minutes of it happening. However, we are scrupulously monitored by JAKIM, MCMC and PDRM, to silence us.

In an interview with the Hong Kong’s Asia Times, Mahathir insulted Malaysian Chinese because he said their wealth caused a lot of resentment and could lead to tension and confrontation; but Mahathir’s wealth has even shocked Najib.

Isn’t it an insult that Mahathir’s affirmative action policies, helped fuel a culture of dependency on handouts for the Malays, at the expense of other needy Malaysians? Mahathir inadvertently made the Chinese more resilient.

Mahathir is responsible for many of our nation’s troubles, like the implementation of the affirmative action policies, and the removal of the independence of the judiciary. After GE-14, he was given a second chance to dismantle  his evil policies, but failed miserably.

Yesterday, a judge allowed a politician time-off to canvas in a by-election, instead of attending his corruption trial. So, is it an insult to criticise the judiciary for setting this bad precedent?

Sensitive judges must explain why the rich and powerful can do as they please, when editors-in-chief of newspapers, hungry people who steal, and ordinary members⁷ of the public who break the strict terms of the Coronavirus lockdown, are swiftly punished within days of their perceived crimes.

Today, Malaysian political cowardice (PC) uses JAKIM as another political tool to rob us of our right to free speech.

Ultra-sensitive Malaysians must either grow-up or develop a thick skin. Many Malays have been conditioned to believe that they are superior to other races. They are not! The fact that they are easily insulted and slighted, only shows their weakness.