Of empathy and religion

LAST Friday, hundreds of journalists gathered at the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur to fete the best among them. There were plenty of awards, good food and camaraderie. And the Prime Minister was in attendance.

In his impassioned speech to the journalists, he spoke about what the country needed. We do not need extremists or those who wish to divide, he said.

What we really need are people who have empathy, he stressed.

Empathy – now, that’s a word that struck a chord. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

It’s something that so many others have talked about too. Confucius, for one, said “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.”

I checked. Confucius wasn’t the only one who said things like that. Umar bin Khattab, the founder of Islamic jurisprudence, also said the same thing.

Variants of the quote can be found in Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. In fact, all religions seem to share the thought that putting yourself in the shoes of others is vital.

Malaysians, by and large, are a religious lot. Despite their religious leaning, there are people who seem to lack empathy.

We have seen several such cases in recent times.

Take the case of Moroccan influencer Abdellatif Ouisa. The man, described as a “radical Wahhabi influencer”, recited Quranic verses denouncing idol worship at, of all places, Batu Caves, the main venue of Thaipusam in Malaysia.

He did it twice, once at the entrance at ground level and again within the temple compound up the 272 steps.

There was an outcry. Yet, Abdellatif was allowed to leave the country without facing any action.

Abdellatif, who had been accused of committing sexual misconduct against recently converted and underage Muslim women, later claimed he has been banned from Malaysia. I do hope it’s true. It will be good riddance to bad rubbish.

Then, there was a cabbie who criticised how Islam is practised in the country. He claimed that many wanted drinking and gambling banned just because their religion does not allow them to do so.

That’s not quite true.

Gambling is allowed. We have the casino up on the hill and three 4D draws a week conducted by three operators. And that’s not counting those in Sabah and Sarawak. As though that is not enough, there are a number of quite unnecessary special draws too.

So, maybe the cabbie was just venting his frustrations and should have probably thought through what he was saying. I can understand people taking offence to his claims. Police reports have been lodged against him.

But the case that takes the cake involves convert preacher Firdaus Wong. In a video that has gone viral, he made some rather shocking claims. He advised a fellow preacher to go ahead and convert non-Muslims to Islam even if they are underage and their parents do not agree.

That is illegal! No child below the age of 18 can be converted without the consent of his parents. Parents – the plural form. The Federal Court made that clear in 2018.

Yet Wong advised the other chap, a teacher, to go ahead and convert the minors and not inform their parents until they turn 18. He even said the converted kids should perform prayers beneath the blankets and in bathrooms to ensure the parents are kept in the dark about the conversions.

Not only did Wong know it is illegal, he even seems to hint that he had done it before. Talk about a lack of empathy.

Now, imagine if the shoe were on the other foot. Attempts to convert a Muslim out of Islam is also against the law in this country. Secret conversions of Muslims, of course, cannot – must not – be done.

Any such attempt, I am sure, would be met with strident howls of protest. Remember when there was a rumour of conversions of Muslims that happened in Ipoh back in 2006.

A near-riot occurred in Silibin, and the Federal Reserve Unit personnel had to be called in.

What really happened at the church was that 98 Indian children of the local parish received their first Holy Communion.

I have no idea if any of them had been converted from a different religion. But none was Muslim. It shows just how sensitive religion can be.

The video featuring Firdaus Wong has been going around for more than a week now, but so far no action has been taken – although there have been protests and complaints.And that probably is the saddest part of all. That the powers that have only apathy for those whose children may be covertly converted, leaving parents shell-shocked when they finally hear the news.

What’s worse, an NGO has said it will not even lodge police reports because the police, it claimed, would only label it as NFA (no further action) and bin it.

The police and the authorities should be doing the right thing by the citizens and upholding the law. When people lose faith in them, it means we have hit rock bottom.

The words of the Prime Minister still ring in my ear. “We cannot use the issues of race, religion and royalty in ways that can divide and harm us,” he said.

But the words have fallen on deaf ears. Last I heard, Wong has released a new video. Allah, he says, does not seek parents’ permission to bring a child into the world. Thus, the child does not need the parents’ permission to become a Muslim.

Illegal? Obviously. Lack of empathy? Totally. I do hope the Prime Minister will act to ensure his words at that dinner do not ring hollow.