How did the Selangor Fatwa Council get this idea in modern, moderate Malaysia? How did Muslim clerics who have dedicated their lives to studying Islam and understanding it properly, and who are now in a position to issue religious rulings, get the crazy idea that “liberalism and pluralism in religion is against the teachings of Islam”?
“Selangor Fatwa Council asks MCMC to check on liberalism, pluralism in Islam,” by Nuradilla, New Straits Times, October 14, 2014 (thanks to Twostellas):
SHAH ALAM: Liberalism and pluralism in religion is against the teachings of Islam, according to a fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Council dated July 31.
It also said that any publication that promotes the ideas should be made illegal and prohibited.
The department’s Islamic affairs deputy director Azezul Azery Zulazmi said materials promoting suchideas [sic] are liable to be confiscated by the state as well.
“We also urge the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block websites or attempts in social media to go against the teachings of Islam and Hukum Syarak.
“Any Muslim with such ideas should repent and come back to the true teachings of Islam,” he said in a statement earlier today.
The statement was released as a reaction to a growing controversy regarding the Home Ministry’s decision to ban an Indonesian liberal scholar from entering the country and participate in a forum on religion this week.
The scholar, Ulil Abshar Abdalla is one of the founding members and leaders of the controversial network of Muslim organisations, Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL) in Indonesia.