KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Parliament have been urged to be cautious when using religious terms that could be misunderstood by those unfamiliar with their meaning.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said such words could alarm people, including non-Muslims, particularly when uttered by those with religious knowledge.
Earlier, tempers flared in the Dewan Rakyat following an exchange between government and Opposition MPs over the use of the word "munafik" (hypocrite), allegedly in reference to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This was after RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) invoked Standing Order 36(1), objecting to the use of the term by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru) during the Budget 2027 debate.
"If someone accuses me of being a hypocrite, I would fall ill because I did not attend religious school.
"The same goes for Muslims and non-Muslims who may be taken aback when they hear such words, especially when uttered by people with religious knowledge.
"We do not need to show that we are knowledgeable or that we attended religious schools.
"Such language can create an intimidating situation when others do not understand it," he said when presiding over the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday (Oct 19).
Johari said MPs should be mindful as not everyone shares the same depth of religious knowledge, including their colleagues from Sabah and Sarawak.
He cautioned that using such terms could trigger prolonged debate, diverting attention from issues affecting the people.
