Tun Dr Mahathir: Let's not make Islam the religion of the "Police State"

In his blog, chedet.cc, Dr Mahathir said the Islamic laws in the states are different from one and another and its implementation also varies. He said this will affect those visiting states with different Islamic laws.

"The perceptions on the practice of Muslims are also not the same. Enforcement will be influenced by this or by his or her own perceptions. The policemen may be those who are not well versed in Islam. Even ulamas have difference of opinion.," he wrote.

In a certain state, he pointed out that men and women have separate lanes to shop.

“There will be women who will be shopping with their husbands. Will they have to shop separately then?,” he asked.

He said in other state, headscarf or ‘tudung’ is a must and that pants should not be too tight.

"Question will then arise on the level of tightness allowed by the police," he said.

Dr Mathathir added that the Syariah police have their own views, some of them orthodox while others were more extreme.

"The actions taken by them depend on their own interpretations. For some, violations under Islamic laws have occurred and arrests are made. However for others, the situation may be different. As time goes by, the interpretations of Islamic law get stricter. Anyone who does not agree with the interpretations is afraid for being accused as not being Islamic."

He said the Syariah police would also pose problems for tourists of various cultures and backgrounds, who wear different types of clothing and will be subjected to questioning by the Islamic police.

“Non-Muslim tourists will not be happy with being questioned by the police,” he said adding that it will be detrimental to the tourism industry as tourists would then opt to go to other state with different Islamic laws.

He said there has been demands that non-Muslims should also be subjected to Islamic standards but said this will cause tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims.

“We can see the problems from our neighboring country which has Islamic police and the problems that they face,” he added.

He said what is more pertinent now is instilling the right values in the Muslims in the country.

"We see a lot of rape, baby abandoning, drugs abuse and other crimes committed more by the Muslims than non-Muslims. We need to tackle this. Why are more Muslims involved in these crimes than non-Muslims even though the same law is applied to all? There must be a reason to it," he wrote.

He believed that while Muslims are taught to carry out religious duties, they are not imbued with values, obligations and prohibitions of Islam such as not to take things that do not belong to them, controling desires, respect for parents and family, and many more.

“Parents don’t have the capabilities to do so, so it is up to the schools to take over this task,”he said.

Having Syariah police, he said, will not solve the problems of Muslims in the country and he whole-heartedly does not agree with the proposal.

“I carry out my prayers, fasting, I carry out zakat contributions, the Haj, I recite the Kalimah - not because the fear of arrest but to fulfill my duties as a Muslim according to my belief and faith," he said.