“This country is going haywire. On one side, as soon as Islam is mentioned, they react angrily.”

- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

COMMENT | While speaking at the 24K Huffaz Gathering at the Federal Territory Mosque, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim continued a Manichean narrative that fuels racial and religious discord.

“So, we are forced to face these two forces: on one side, there is Islamophobia, where Islam cannot be mentioned at all.

“On the other side, they are the only Islamic group, and everyone else is deviant, evil, and oppressive,” he said.

Not only is this a false premise, but it also underscores the deeply divisive mainstream Muslim narratives of this country, which have demonised secular or moderate Islamic voices in our public and private spaces.

First off, can the prime minister point to any organisation, political party or high-profile individuals who could be deemed “Islamophobic” or who do not want any mention of Islam?

What the prime minister can point to are organisations, political parties and individuals who have reacted against the intrusion of Islam into non-Muslim economic and social spheres, which we were told would not happen under the so-called social contract or Muslim voices who fear that the religion of the state would curtail their democratic rights.

Has the prime minister condemned the...