The Worst Bigot Award

Yes, I'm renaming it The Worst Bigot Award and the reward is a crate of books on humanities with the stipulated agreement to be signed by the recipient that he or she would read and study them to my satisfaction. (well, my semester study of Islam has taught me it isn't necessarily a religion for bigots).

Apparently, someone deserves it today. As reluctant as I am to drag in a religious figure, I'm a fair guy who'll give it to whoever he or she is, regardless of race, color and creed. This award goes to the state mufti, Datuk Haji Ahmad Alawi Haji Adnanof of non-Islamic Sabah in a non-Islamic Malaysia for issuing a Taliban-styled fatwa (religious edict) against the erection of religious statutes in Sabah state.

Remember the Taliban? In Afghanistan, the ruling Taliban regime blew up the historical ancient huge Buddhist statutes, using dynamite. The world and people of all faiths widely condemned them and eventually they were toppled when Uncle Sam got rid of these vermin following 9/11.

Well, you see, if I ignore this mischief-maker now without exposing him to all and sundry, he might attempt to pull another fast one that will change the socio-political and economic development of Sabah.

Without elaborating, the implications are obvious if this fatwa remains against the Malaysian Constitution.

Make no mistake-I'll closely monitor this case because of my many relatives in Sabah. Here is the news in Sabah's popular English Daily Express News.

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
Police report over Fatwa

09 December, 2007

Kota Kinabalu: A police report has been lodged against Sabah Mufti, Datuk Haji Ahmad Alawi Haji Adnan for issuing a "fatwa" (religious decree) that forbids religious statues or replicas of human and animals in public places close to the road.

Kanul Gindol, political secretary to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat Vice-President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, said in a statement the fatwa issued in July last year could incite hatred and animosity in a plural society like Malaysia. He said a copy of the Mufti's Fatwa letter together with other related letters were now being circulated in websites, including on the Malaysia Today website.

Kanul said he lodged the report with the Karamunsing district police headquarters. Keadilan said the Mufti's action went against the Federal Constitution which guaranteed the freedom of religion. He also urged the police and ACA to look into whether an abuse of power or corruption had occurred, believing that it was issued in relation to the stopped Mazu project that may have prompted Tan Sri Chong's resignation from the State Cabinet as Deputy Chief Minister-cum-State Tourism and Environment Minister.