sheer arrogance

‘JAKIM won’t wait for decency guidelines‘ screamed the headline in NST of 19 april.

Muslim couples caught kissing or committing other indecent acts in public will be dealt with by the Islamic Affairs Department (Jakim) regardless of any advice from the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

Department director-general Datuk Mustapa Abdul Rahman yesterday said non-Muslims found committing indecent acts with Muslims would be handed over to the police while their Muslim partners would be dealt with under the Syariah.

There was no need for its enforcement officers to wait for the formulation of guidelines by the Housing and Local Government Ministry on what constituted indecent acts.

whoa!! isn’t that sheer arrogance on JAKIM’s part? defying the ministry!
this came 2 days after when housing and local government minister, ong ka ting, told enoforcement officers not to spy on courting couples. he said that his ministry, together with other ministries, will come out with guidelines on what constitutes ‘indecent act’.

that’s when our ‘moral police’, JAKIM arrogantly said no, they won’t wait for the guidelines, they will start spying on couples, muslim or non muslim.

JAKIM director general, mustapa abdul rahman said:

“As the authority directly in charge of taking care of the moral standard and behaviour of the masses, particularly Muslims, we will follow the law in taking action against such couples, including the non-Muslims. After all, this is our moral duty and responsibility.”

‘our moral duty and responsibility’?? wow! so they self appointed themselves as the public’s moral police?

mustapa’s arrogance continued when he warned muslim couples that Muslim couples with no binding relationship “spotted” by enforcement officers at quiet, isolated places would be detained.

“Do not expect my men to do nothing when they see unmarried couples or those without any relationship kissing and hugging in public. We will act according to the law.”

how will they know the couples has no ‘binding relationship’? are they going to stop every couples who kissed and hugged and ask “are you married?”

gosh, what are these JAKIM people trying to proof? uh-oh, i know lah, as wits0 would have said it, something like trying to be ‘holier than holy’.

something related, do you know there is a woman known world-wide as a ‘hugging saint‘? she was in singapore recently and attracted hundreds of people, all lining up just to have a 3 seconds hug with her.

hmm… what if she visits our country? will she be allowed to, i the first place? i can just imagine if she is allowed to visit, JAKIM officers would be all around, shouting “no hugging! no hugging! just touch will do”.

note: sun2surf had a good article on this morality and law issue.

(picture taken from mkfreeberg blog)