Recently, constitutional law expert Prof Shad Saleem Faruqi was reported inviting his critics for a dialogue instead of resorting to police reports. The professor had confirmed that a police report was lodged by the government-funded Malaysia Islamic Strategic Research Institute (IKSIM). Prof Shad Faruqi is being investigated under the Section 504 of the Penal Code, which deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. They were upset with his article published on November 23 in The Star entitled ‘Religious radicalism on the rise’. Shad explained that, “[his] intention is basically to point out that our Constitution is mixed, hybrid and plural. Islam has a very exalted position but as of yet, as things stand under the law, it’s not yet the highest law of the land.” Today, we explore the underlying dynamics of this case.
Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan