Interfaith dialogue in Malaysia is flagging due to past controversies associated with such activities.
In March 2023, Hannah Yeoh, the Minister of Youth and Sports, was embroiled in the Jom Ziarah Gereja (Let’s Visit a Church) controversy. The programme was part of a larger initiative to foster interfaith understanding. However, the minister was accused of proselytising Christianity to Muslim youth, even though she subsequently clarified that no Muslims were involved. As a result, the minister had to answer to Parliament and the police. She had to cancel the programme, and reassign other programmes to other ministers to avoid similar religiously-charged claims.
The…