MALAYSIA IS A SECULAR COUNTRY OR NOT

Secular or not - that is the question. Now to find the answer. Easy as a,b,c. Just look up our country's Constitution. Don't have one? Get one now ( set you back Rm 10.00 for a paperback version) and look these up:

Part 1, Article 1: Name, States and territories of the Federation.

(1) The Federation shall be known, in Malay and in English by the name Malaysia.

Article 3. Religion of the Federation.

(1) Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religion may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.

(Note that it says "..the religion of the Federation.." and not "official religion of").

3.4. Nothing in this Article derogates from any other provision of this Constitution.

Article 4. Supreme law of the Federation.

(1) This Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.

Part II, Article 8. Equality.

(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.

Article (11) Freedon of religion.

(1) Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and subject to Clause (4),propagate it.

(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, labuan and Putrajaya, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

(5) This Article does not authorise any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.

Now that you have a copy of the Constitution hand, take time to read and digest it, if not all just he parts you think is relevant to know. That's the problem. Many of us just don't take the time to read the country's Constitution which governs our lives. We discuss issues but we are in the dark about the causes or root of the issues. Whatever others tell us, we just swallow them hook, line and sinker.

First, we should ask ourselves what "secularism" really means. Here, by "religion" we mean all religions - Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewism, Taoism, Sikhism, Confucism and others.

The word "secular" as define by The New oxford Dictionary of English, among others: denoting attitude, activities, or other things that has no religious or spiritual basis. Used in Christian Latin to mean 'the world' as opposed to 'the Church'. This means that the authority in the state is derived from the people and not from God through the clergy.

We believe in our religion, whatever it may be. We believe our religion is good on this earth and hereafter. All religion preaches goodness. We believe that our religion is good and fair for everybody on earth, believers and non-believers. If so, why do we want to separate religion from the governing of our country? Shouldn't it be the other way round? If we want "secularism" - meaning rejecting "religion" - it means we do not fully believe in our religion.

Now, ask ourselves, is our country Malaysia, a secular country or not. Malaysia is definitely not a theocratic country but it is also not a secular one. Malaysia is in between and that makes the country unique.