Bishop lauds Mujahid's 'serendipity', in midst of 'Christian book' row

Catholic bishop emeritus Paul Tan Chee Ing has lauded Parti Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa for suggesting that he is probably a better Muslim after having read Selangor speaker Hannah Yeoh's book about her journey of faith, ‘Becoming Hannah’.

“He has read the book and purports to find it has probably made him a better Muslim,” observed the former head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese.

“What serendipity!” exclaimed the Jesuit-trained prelate.

“By publicly airing his intuition that he is probably a better Muslim for having read Hannah's book, Mujahid has lanced the boil that swelled as a result of some people turning something salt and sane into something sinister and insidious,” said the bishop.

Years ago bishop Paul had called Mujahid the “Muslim version of St Francis of Assisi”, a beloved 12th century Christian cleric renowned for his valour in portraying irenic virtue while all about him swirled sectarian strife.

Mujahid earlier this decade had headed a small band of determined members of his party (he was then in PAS before joining the movement to form Amanah in 2015) in a campaign aimed at fostering interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Penang and northern Perak.

Mujahid had presented a copy of a book he wrote about his experiences in promoting dialogue between Christians and Muslims, ‘Berdialog dengan Gereja: Sebuah travelog kedamaian’ (Having Dialogues with the Church: A Travelogue of Peace), to bishop Paul when he paid a courtesy call on the Catholic hierarchy.

Bishop ‘edified’

“Frankly, I can't say his book made me a better Catholic, though I admit I was edified by its contents and the thought behind his efforts at interfaith dialogue,” said Paul.

“However, I reiterate he is the Muslim Franciscan – a plenipotentiary of peace in our troubled times when the sinister are prompted to make demons out of innocuous chronicles of faith.

“Indeed but for people like Mujahid, one is impelled to agree with the poet WB Yeats that these are times where 'the best lack all conviction and the worst are full of passionate intensity'.

“With Mujahid and what he does and says, there are yet some who possess conviction and are unafraid to let others know what those are.

“I say 'syabas' (congratulations) to him,” said the bishop.

Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff this month lodged a police report against Yeoh claiming her biography was attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Unfazed by a backlash against his claims, Kamarul has continued to attack the DAP Subang Jaya assemblyperson and is now planning a petition for her party to be deregistered.- Mkini