religious overzealousness curbed

Religious raids in future must be accompanied by a senior police official, so says the media here, here and here. This is in light of the criticism and condemnation from the public after a high profile raid on Zouk KL, where some 100 Muslim youth were rounded up, mistreated and sexually humiliated by the religious authorities of JAWI.

Perhaps this is a sign of relief to the many non-Muslims in this country, who were beginning to feel that Malaysia is slowly treading the path towards Talibanism when it comes to implementing Islamic laws. The thing about this is that there is no clear cut measure of how to interpret and implement these laws. It is all entirely up to each individual to judge for themselves just what type of interpretation should be taken. Should morality be in the eyes of one particular individual, or should it be a personal issue?

For the multi-racial Barisan Nasional, I commend Mohd Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Baru) for offering a balanced opinion about morality. Granted: crimes such as murder, snatch-theft, rape and kidnapping should be investigated, and there should be raids and other methods to stop these crimes from becoming rampant and overrunning the country. However, for matters that involve strictly the individual, perhaps there should not be any external enforcement. Personal transformation begins from within each individual, not from some governing body that intimidates its citizens through high-handed actions.

Perhaps this blog entry from Malaysia Today sums it up best. Let's hope for a more open and understanding Malaysia, and more private space to her Rakyat.