Religious pluralism and liberalism are supposed to be aspirational. If religious pluralism and liberalism are a big no-no, this is the opposite of what Rukun Negara teaches us.

We are supposed to ensure a liberal approach toward its rich and diverse cultural traditions.

So if the home minister did not question his faith, why persecute the filmmakers? Notice that people will say that their feelings are hurt, but never that they question their faith.

They will say that they are concerned that others will question their faith, but they have not done so themselves. So do they believe that everyone else's faith is weak?

Religious sensitivity has been weaponised in this country, and while the discourse revolves around how it has been weaponised against the non-Malay community, its real purpose is to turn the Malay/Muslim community into a monolithic polity, which would be easier to control.

Silencing moderate religious voices

This film is feared capable of making people question their faith, yet it is allowed to be shown at trial. Isn’t the state worried that people will question their faith even in the controlled environment of the courtroom?

Keep in mind that filmmakers, cast and crew were threatened, and in one case, their property was damaged.

When civil society groups decried the harassment of the cast, they were missing the point. The harassment is part of a targeted campaign to silence moderate religious voices in this country.

The harassment serves as a warning to moderate believers not to speak up. It is a reminder that the sole guardians of any kind of religious inquiry are the state and state-aligned preachers.

You only have to look at Muslim culture in Malaysia before the religious bureaucracy, enabled by political cretins, took over to see how diverse it was.

You only have to look at the scholars, artists, and thinkers that the religious state goes after to understand why they want to stamp out plurality in the polity.

Alienating instead of treasuring

Do people who watch P Ramlee movies suddenly start consuming alcohol and dancing in clubs? Do they change the way they dress?

Why stop there? Apparently, Bollywood movies are popular, and so is K-pop. Do Muslims who follow these art forms suddenly change the way they dress and decide to embrace other faiths?

And what of other traditional art forms now deemed offensive to religious sensibilities?

In an interview I did with Ramli Ibrahim, he said that with the Arabisation of the Malays came the rejection of some of their own indigenous cultural practices.

“The traditional performing arts in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been banned, resulting in subsequent generations not being able to continue these precious art forms,” he added.

Instead of treasuring these intangible heritages of ours, they are now alienated from the very communities which once sustained these art forms.

Abandoned and looked down upon, these traditional art forms are now regarded as "against the teaching of Islam".

Imagine the diverse voices being snuffed out all over the world by theocracies or would-be theocracies.

Ultimately, these laws are designed to discourage questioning, which says a lot about Madani and the gatekeepers of the religion of the state.