Malaysians are understandably anxious over the statement for fear that it will become part of our national consciousness if repeated often enough. Many question if this could be a strategy to steer Malaysia towards the direction of fundamental Islam?

The Prime Minister attempted to smooth the ruffles when he said: "Although we declare Islam as our official religion, non-Muslims are free to practice their religions. This is in line with the teachings of Islam. There is no compulsion in Islam because Islam abhors chaos, which might happen if Islamic laws are forced upon non-Muslims.

"If because of this non-Muslims perceive Malaysia as a secular country, it is their perception and they are free to do so." (Star On-line, Sept 30)

And when DAP deputy chairman Karpal Singh stated that Article 3 (1) of the Federal Constitution could not be interpreted to reflect that Malaysia is an Islamic state, the Prime Minister replied: "He can say what he likes. He can call it a secular state. We are not objecting to him calling it a secular state, so why should he object to us calling it an Islamic state?" (The Star, Oct 14)

Indeed, we have the freedom and the right to maintain that Malaysia is a secular state according to our Constitution.

Perhaps, some have already resigned themselves to the fact that Malaysia is an Islamic country; their question, however, is: "How Islamic is the country?" Others may think it is a matter of conflicting interpretation, which essentially is a socio-political conflict and not a theoretical one. Another group may just argue that Malaysia, although officially a secular state, is pro-Islam in orientation.

Before any judgment call is made, we need to understand the Islamic concept in both local and broader contexts as well as the logic behind the Islamisation process. Sadly, Christians often lack a clear understanding of how the state is viewed in Islam.

Firstly, Islam draws no distinction between the religious and the temporal spheres of life. By definition, the Muslim state is a religious one; the state itself is a religious institution. On the other hand, religion is incomplete unless the state is somewhat Islamic. ( Goddard, Hugh. "Some reflections on Christians and Islamic Political Thought," Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. Vol.1, No1, 1990, pp 25–43.)

Thus for the conservative Muslims, it seems impossible to have a secular state in the western sense with all religions enjoying equality.

Based on the extent of implementation of the Syariah Law – the hallmark of an Islamic state – the Muslim world may be divided into three groups:

From the above, we see that Malaysia falls in the second group as it is a constitutional state with Islam having privilege position.

However, the United Nations and Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) recognise Malaysia as an Islamic nation based on the centuries of Sultanate rule, the provision in the Constitution that Islam is the religion of the state, political power in the hands of Muslims, and a strong Islamic component in the Malay ethos and culture.

But let’s note the well-known remark of our first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman: "There is no way we should have an Islamic State here … we cannot force the non-Malays and non-Muslims to follow our way of life. Our slogan ‘live and let live’ must be maintained because it is the only practical solution in a multi-racial society like ours."

Therefore, let Article (3) and (11) of the Federal Constitution rule. It is therefore absolutely important to understand and defend our present constitution, which guarantees the religious liberty of every person in this nation. —Contributed by Lim Siew Foong, NECF Malaysia Executive Secretary (Research)