Malaysia PM Anwar says ban on political talk in mosques, prayer halls by state rulers must be respected

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Mar 7) said that the ban on politicians from giving talks and lectures in mosques and surau (small prayer halls) must be respected by all parties. 

This comes after Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang over the weekend said that he will continue giving sermons in the East Coast state of Terengganu despite an edict from state ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin banning politicians from delivering religious talks in mosques and prayer halls there. 

“The question of permission in mosques, that applies to everyone including the Prime Minister. The rulers of the states have the authority when it comes to religion. This must be understood,” Mr Anwar told reporters after an event at the Ministry of Finance. 

“In respecting the order (by religious authorities), I avoid giving talks when I stop at a mosque for Friday prayers.” 

Mr Anwar added that the rationale for the ruling was because there have been too many instances where discourse about religion contained many elements of hardline political rhetoric.  

On Mar 2, Terengganu’s Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIDAM) announced Sultan Mizan’s orders, saying that the state ruler was upset that there were some politicians who had given religious lectures and classes without the council’s approval.

Some had also led Friday prayers without its prior approval, MAIDAM said, without naming who the politicians are or which parties they belong to.

Terengganu is currently ruled by the Islamist party PAS. 

On Saturday, PAS president Abdul Hadi vowed to continue to give sermons as usual in Terengganu despite the edict. 

He said that there was nothing wrong with Muslim politicians delivering sermons in mosques or at prayer halls as it was important for leaders to speak up on various matters including politics.

"We have to understand … when we talk about Islam, we cannot separate politics from religion.

“Even the Prophet Muhammad talks about politics in his sermons. There is nothing wrong and we have a duty to talk about it,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

On Tuesday, Mr Anwar said that if Mr Abdul Hadi did not agree with the ruling that he should submit a memorandum to the Terengganu ruler.

Terengganu’s ban on talks and sermons by political leaders in mosques and prayer halls follows a similar edict in the southern state of Johor earlier in January. Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim had earlier this year ordered that political discussions be kept out of its mosques and prayer halls.

Tunku Ismail - who is the chairman of Johor’s Islamic Religious Council - had ordered that besides the ban on religious talks in mosques, all activities involving religious discourse as well as the speakers involved must first be approved by the relevant religious bodies.

In other states, religious speakers have also been banned from or given stern warnings against preaching political messages in mosques.