— David Martin
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 24, 2012

JAN 24 — January is almost up and we’re already a few days into the year of the Dragon. Seems like it’s same old same old as the business of hate mongering are abound, at least where the self appointed moral guardians Perkasa are concerned.

Today, Perkasa’s secretary general claimed that the appointment of Selangor’s Menteri Besar as the state’s Executive Councillor in charge of Islam would result in a bigger threat to Islam from the Christians in the state.

Now Mr Attorney General, Mr Inspector General of Police & Mr Home Minister, if such unsubstantiated accusations are not seditious in nature, what is?

What’s with Perkasa’s paranoia with Christianity anyway?

Why are the Christians made the bogeyman for any & all threats to Islam in this country in the last few years?

A few that came to mind was of course the supposed conversions in Silibin, Perak a few years back which was spread via text messaging services. Then came the usage of the word “Allah” in Christian publications. Who could forget the security threat posed by a consignment of Alkitabs which led to the “righteous” act of defacement of the holy scriptures of Christians. Oh, lest I forget, there’s the “miraculous” solar powered bible that could entice a Muslim to convert. And the list goes on and on and on.

In fact, if I wasn’t the least affected by these developments as a Christian, I’d find them highly amusing, the insecurities & paranoia of some quarters. Here’s the thing… I believe in my god & you believe in yours period I could never understand the need to compel someone to remain in a faith they do not believe in.

If I no longer believe that Jesus was the son of god who came into the world to free me from the bondage of sin, I’d just walk off into the sunset & find a faith that I believe in.

Why is it criminally wrong to change one’s views on a faith that he or she professes? Is there real freedom in a country where some are outlawed to convert out of their religion?

The remarks made by a number of our so called “defenders of Islam” in the country reveals a deep seated hatred for Christianity in this country. And recent events lend credence to this assumption. In 2011 alone, there were accusations that there are plans afoot for Christianity to replace Islam as the Federation’s official religion.

Also, a number of accusations were thrown at Christian charities for their attempts to convert Muslims by offering financial aid to the needy. It came as no surprise that all these accusations were debunked gamely.

The truth will eventually prevail no matter how many lies are used to cover it up.

Also of no surprise would be the inaction by the powers that be over the actions of the hate mongering by certain quarters. In fact, it would appear to the average man in the streets that the authorities are cowered by these “defenders of Islam”. I believe that when one falls out of the faith, many factors contribute to that.

Amongst others would be a lack of understanding of the faith they profess and more importantly, the lack of support from their brethren. Instead of merely pointing fingers at other quarters, Perkasa and all their bigoted supporters should look into the mirror and ask themselves what have they done to support their brethren in Islam.

Placing the blame on others for your people’s lack own of faith is not just irresponsible, it is a failure of your own faith. And for that, even the Almighty cannot be happy at your contributions to the faith.