Over the past few weeks, Malaysia is once again rocked by events connected to the Islamic faith. The issue of Muslim apostasy , the Sure Heboh issue and now the Azan issue . Something has obviously gone wrong with the Islamisation process in Malaysia.

Let me assure you that outsiders with a stake in the Asean region are also worried by these symptoms of a seemingly deeper problem. They do not want a Malaysia that is ripped apart by religious strife. Because the next step would be Indonesia and Singapore.

Asean doesn't need a 1,000-mile long 'Islamic insurgency'. So may I suggest a solution?

Stop sending Malaysian students to Middle Eastern universities and colleges for an Islamic education.

The Middle East have a completely different social context. They are not multi-cultural as is Malaysia. In what sense can the Middle East be a relevant model of Islam for Malaysian Muslims?

Perhaps the time has finally come for Malaysia to admit the obvious - that Islam as practiced in Malaysia is not equivalent to the Islam as practiced in the Middle East.

Wahhabism has no place in cosmopolitan Asean countries. Consequently Malaysia has no further need to train its future ulama in Al-Azhar or Medina. They can get more relevant training in Malaysia itself.

Especially since they will be exposed daily to a multi-religious environment. A contextual consideration of Islam is vital for Asean's continued peace, progress and prosperity.

I totally reject the absolutist view of Islam as being without context. All discourse is meaningful only in context. The same goes for Islam; it cannot exist in a vacuum.