“In order to be a part of the totalitarian mindset, it is not necessary to wear a uniform or carry a club or a whip. It is only necessary to wish for your own subjection and to delight in the subjection of others.”

- Author Christopher Hitchens

COMMENT | Rational Malaysians should be rightly afraid of the proposed Federal Territories Mufti Bill, which will get its day in Parliament soon.

Any time a religious law is introduced into the legislative body, it makes it easier for religious agendas to dominate how the country is run. It is as simple as that.

Latheefa Koya, in her must-read piece about this proposed bill, which in essence is merely a religious power grab by the Madani state, issues this chilling warning - “It will give power to the government through the mufti to control or police every aspect of the life of Muslims in this country. No government should have such powers over its people in a democracy, purportedly under the guise of religion.”

Sisters in Islam (SIS), which the Selangor state fatwa committee labelled as deviant (SIS last year obtained a Federal court leave to appeal the issue), said this - “Without oversight and recourse for appeals or legal challenges, the unchecked powers of institutions or figures directly undermine the rule of law and justice.”

The always vocal (why this woman is unelected is, I dare say, criminal) Siti Kasim, who knows a thing or two about...