'Tolerance should not diminish the status of Islam or the Malay identity'

SHAH ALAM - Mesir Malaysian Students Association (Ilmam Malaysia) president, Dr Muhamad Zuhaili Saiman, insisted that Malaysia cannot be allowed to become a secular country.

He said the provision of Article 3 (1) in the Federal Constitution clearly shows the position of Islam, which is given a lot of space to fully dominate Islamic sharia, even if gradually from time to time.

In addition, he said, if the concept of Malaysian Malaysia is practiced to the point of eliminating and marginalising the Malays, it cannot be accepted at all.

"Malaysia refers to the land of the Malay race. Malay is the identity of the national image, not just a racial image.

"Malaysia's uniqueness at the social level is integration, but at the national level, it is the Malays as the nation-state image for Malaysia," he said in a statement.

He said this following the statement of DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke, who said DAP does not need to drop the Secular State agenda and the slogan 'Malaysian Malaysia' following an understanding reached between the parties in the coalition before the formation of the unity government.

Anthony Loke said that before the unity government was formed, all parties made an agreement and agreed not to touch the principles and constitution of their respective parties.

According to him, DAP has also never asked other parties to amend the constitution because all parties have their own principles or ideologies.

In the meantime, Muhamad Zuhaili said, the tolerance practiced now cannot sideline the provisions of the Constitution.

"Tolerance should not lower the status of Islam and destroy the image of the Malays themselves.

"You can be political, but we have limits," he said.