Sa’ad ibn Waqqas r.a. once said, “Set a limit to your jokes, for going to extremes makes you lose respect…” while Imam al-Nawawi reminded, “Excessive jokes often lead to hurt feelings, generate hatred and cause people to lose respect and dignity…” Undoubtedly, seeking pleasure by joking and laughing is part of human nature. Nevertheless, everything has its limits and boundaries and needs to be done moderately. This is in line with a Hadith which emphasises moderation. Excessive actions including making jokes to the extent of insulting a person, race, or religion are unacceptable. This can even be considered an offense according to the law of this country.
Religious mockery is mentioned in the Quran, for instance in verse 65, Surah al-Tawbah which reads, “If you question them, they will certainly say, “We were only talking idly and joking around.” Say, “Was it Allah, His revelations, and His Messenger that you ridiculed?” and also in verse 106, Surah al-Kahf, “..they made My messages and My messengers a target of their mockery” as mentioned by God in the Qur’an.” Religious mockery or blasphemy, in particular against Islam have happened since ancient times and continues to this very day. Other than this, the Quran also reminds us that, “O believers!˺ Do not insult what they invoke besides Allah or they will insult Allah spitefully out of ignorance.” (Al-An`am 6: 108).
In any situation, religion should never be the object of mockery. Religious faith is a very serious matter to believers as it deals with sacred teachings such as the doctrine of tawhid, the divine mission of the Prophets, moral responsibility, the Day of Judgment, and the end of life. Due to the importance of preserving religious purity and feelings, until 2020, as many as 84 countries across the world have enacted blasphemy laws to prevent any insult against religion and denigrate religious doctrines. Those laws, among others, are located throughout the state’s legal texts including constitutions, criminal codes, and media laws.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom which conducted a study on the enforcement of blasphemy laws worldwide including Malaysia over the period between January 2014 and December 2018 presented some conclusions. Among others, the commission claimed that blasphemy laws violate freedom of religion and expression and promote intolerance. In this context, the commission called for legal reform where states need to protect fundamental human rights as well as prevent future harm against individuals rather than protecting religious ideas at the expense of individual rights. These recommendations seem unfair as they ignore the reality and local needs. Blasphemy laws in Malaysia, for example, are aimed at preserving public order which is the main public interest (maslahah) in a pluralistic society. In comparison, despite bragging about having no blasphemy laws, it is a reality that the United States is still struggling to deal with issues of racism and hate crimes. Even worse, in an average year, over 10,300 hate crimes are reported in the United States which involve firearms averaged at 28 cases daily. The vast majority of hate crimes are directed against people of colour, race or national origin, and religious minorities as reported by the US Department of Justice.
The recent incident involving an act of insulting Islam by a Muslim individual shed light on the lessons that we need to learn. First, education needs to be strengthened at all levels, beginning with the family. In light of this, fathers and guardians who are responsible for leading, educating and, instilling morals and virtues besides providing needs in the form of sustenance, shelter, and others, play an important role as role models to their children. Education is emphasised by Islam in all circumstances even for offenders. This could be seen through the concept and purpose of punishment in Islam which is reformative and rehabilitative apart from preventive and deterrent as well as retributive in nature. Through reformative punishment, the offender will be given guidance to instil religious awareness and self-consciousness and will be motivated to stop committing a crime and instead seeks God’s pleasure. In this regard, apart from the existing punishment provided by the law, blasphemers can also be directed by the judge to undergo rehabilitation and given an understanding of the true teaching of Islam.
Second, campaigns need to be mobilised to increase public awareness regarding the responsibility to preserve religious sensitivity and maintain public order. Our people need to understand that there is a great difference between our country and those in the west where absolute freedom is upheld. We are not similar to the people of certain countries like France where its President said, “We have the right to blasphemy, to criticize, to caricature religions….” Our country places religion on a pedestal as reflected in the first principle of the Rukun Negara which is the belief in God. In addition, the country’s constitution puts Islam as the religion of the Federation and stipulates that other religions may be practised in peace and harmony. Hopefully, with the arrival of the new Hijri year, our society, regardless of religion and ethnicity, will be able to increase its spirit and determination to respect one another and support the agenda of unity and peaceful co-existence. At the same time, we must strive hard to avoid provoking controversies that could hinder or delay the nation’s ambitious progress.