Dr Mahathir asks JAIS to go back to Al-Quran for guidance

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today urged the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) to go back to the Al-Quran to seek a proper solution in the case of the department’s intrusion into a Hindu temple to stop a wedding on Sunday.

Dr Mahathir said this all comes from not adhering to the teachings of the Quran.

“When they follow the teachings of somebody and the don’t follow the Quran, this is what happens.

“I would suggest they go back to the Quran and find out what is the way to treat such a situation. This, they are following their own intepretation,” he said after presenting a talk at the International Islamic University Malaysia President's Premier Lecture here.

Dr Mahathir stressed that the Quran gives us full guidance as to how to conduct our life.

“As they all say, Islam is a way of life. So, go back to the Quran and find out whether you are right of wrong.

“But when you follow the interpretation of some people, and you become fanatical about that, then of course you do a lot of wrong things.

“Refer to the Quran about people who deny that they are Muslims. There are injunctions in the Quran about this,” he said.

When asked what is the Al-Quran’s take on the non-Muslim minorities, Dr Mahathir said ‘to you your religion, to me my religion.’

“You respect the other religion. You pray in your own way, we pray in our own way,” he said.

When asked if such a practice was carried out when he was the Prime Minister, he said today’s Islam has been politicised.

“Today, Islam has been politicised and people want to show that they are very Islamic. And if you say that, what they do is not Islamic, you are considered as having forsaken Islam.

“And that makes people afraid of making comments, including me,” he said.

On Sunday, Jasi officers had reportedly interrupted the wedding at a Hindu temple after receiving reports the 32-year-old bride, Zarinah Abdul Majid, could be a Muslim.

Checks on Zarinah's MyKad showed that she was Muslim and JAIS officers took her away for questioning.

The department acted under Selangor’s Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims), which outlines offences deemed as acts of proselytisation by non-Muslims towards Muslims, and grants JAIS the power to launch investigations and arrest individuals without producing a warrant.

However, the bride said her father, who had abandoned her family, had registered her as a Muslim but she grew up as a Hindu.

However, JAIS later reportedly denied disrupting the wedding.

JAIS deputy director-general Ahmad Zaki Arshad had said they were only investigating complaints from the public and took a statement from the bride to ascertain her religious status.

He had insisted that the department had followed proper procedures.