What kind of religious leaders would benefit Malaysia?
The country badly needs intellectuals and religious officials to act as go-betweens between all of us. Religious leaders should be peacemakers, not those who divide us. In this article, I speak as both a Muslim and an ordinary citizen who can respectfully critique any Islamic leader. I also wish to admonish and offer suggestions to religious leaders whom I believe have overstepped the bounds of their roles. I have repeatedly written that the religious leaders I truly desire are not only experts in Islamic affairs but also contributors to unity, guiding political figures with fact-based advice and civil discourse. This is my hope, as too many of us face religious and faith-related issues endorsed by social media influencers—many of whom possess superficial knowledge, lack civilized language skills, and include political opportunists and paid trolls专门 hired to confuse the public and discredit the current government. In two recent incidents, a religious leader loudly and vehemently expres...