When will Dapsters get it that M’sia is not secular?
(Tanjak) – Our country is not secular. It is obvious that our individual states are not secular either – not even the ones without sultan. Hence Penang in the north is not secular. Neither is Johor in the south, clearly. Sabah across the sea has Islam as its state religion too.
The DAP continually boasts that its Guan Eng administration lavishes funding every year on Islamic schools and Islamic institutions in Penang.
Penang’s state government also provides public money to sustain the payroll for imams and other mosque officials as well as financing Islamic programmes and activities for Muslims.
Under a secular system, the government does not fund religious schools or religious organizations.
A politician who believes in secular practices would not be preaching in churches or politicking in mosques like Hannah Yeoh (pix above) does.
⇓ If Guan Eng were a secular chief minister, he would not be fronting his state government in a Maulidur Rasul official celebration
Constitutions that uphold separation of church and state
Two weeks ago (Apr 19), the United States Supreme Court heard a case where the Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia had petitioned the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for a grant to refurbish a playground within its preschool.
Missouri state rejected the church’s request, citing its Article I, Section 7 constitutional provision that prohibits funding for religious institutions, including church kindergartens.
The clause states:
“That no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion, or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister or teacher thereof, as such; and that no preference shall be given to nor any discrimination made against any church, sect or creed of religion, or any form of religious faith or worship.”
Earlier, the Eighth Circuit Court had upheld the District Court’s decision to deny the petitioner’s motion.
A number of American state constitutions have clauses restricting public funding for religious activities. Their legislation derives from the constitution of the United States.
Secularism furthermore demands that the state be neutral with regard to all religions.
States in Malaysia, however, are uniformly pro-Islam in their funding support and contributions, including the DAP-ruled Penang where its Christian chief minister and his merry men are always chest-thumping about the “huge” amounts allocated to religious activities for Muslims.
So how can Penang – though a Muslim-minority state in terms of population – ever be considered secular?
