A dangerous precedent seems to have been established in Malaysia lately. The conservative Islamic religious departments are slowly but surely dragging in other governmental departments to engage in moral policing.

The recent arrest and detention of the Turkish intellectual and journalist Mustafa Akyol by the police working in tandem with the Federal Terrorities Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) is a case in point. But I am sure there are many other unreported cases.

If Mustafa Akyol was not a threat to Malaysia, why was he arrested and detained at the KLIA airport before he had to take his flight to the USA?

Why was he, during his period of detention, denied basic visiting rights by his host, lawyers, and friends? What terrible thing did he do to invite such kind of hostility?

According to the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Fuzi Harun, Akyol was no threat to Malaysia, but the police had no choice but to follow the advice of Jawi in detaining him before his departure.

He further added that Akyol was detained because he did not have the right religious credentials to give lectures on Islamic topics. Fuzi did not dare comment about what constitutes the “right” religious credentials!

It is strange and funny that Malaysian police acted expeditiously on this matter when there are so many things that need their attention in the country. It is a shame that the newly minted IGP, Fuzi, put the blame on Jawi when the arrest was actually done by the police.

Since the religious departments do not have the power of enforcement, they rely on the police. However, the police have their own set of rules and regulations and they cannot arrest just because someone is asking them to do the “dirty job”.

Even if Akyol did not have the “right” religious credentials as required by Jawi, they could have requested him to cease giving religious talks, but why the need to detain an intellectual?

By the way, Akyol was invited to the country not to talk about Islamic religious texts but to talk on matters of democracy, faith, and justice. Are such talks so troublesome to members of Jawi? Are members of Jawi so blind or so deaf that they cannot accept alternative views and thoughts in the Islamic world?

Akyol is no intellectual push-over. He published books on the Kurdish independence and on the need to avoid extremism in Islam. Have those in Jawi read these books of Akyol? Are the contents of these publications that pose an imminent threat to the national security of Malaysia?

If the police cooperated with Jawi in arresting Akyol, there is more to it. In the recent past, a number of Turkish intellectuals who came into the country were deported. What was the reason? Were they religious extremists or did they have terrorist links?

No. They were intellectuals and writers who were opposed to the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regime in Turkey. I think that there is an unwritten rule in this country or an understanding that Malaysia would not allow individuals or groups that are against the authoritarian regime of the President of Turkey, Erdogan, to operate in the country.

This applies not only to Turkish intellectuals who are anti-Erdogan but also applies to Tamils who escaped the military oppression in Sri Lanka. Similarly, recently the deputy prime minister was so pleased to announce that a number of Uighur Muslims had been deported to China, merely to please the regime in China.

For reasons of investment and capital flow, Malaysia wants to be in the good books of China, even if this means that it would take action against those Muslims who escaped to Malaysia due to religious persecution.

Although Malaysia would like to impress upon the Muslim world that it is a “protector of Islam and Muslims,” when it comes to matters of “national interest” or for that matter the “interests” of the present government, it is willing to subordinate its Muslim interest.

Take the case of the Rohingya Muslims. Even though Malaysia made much noise about the plight of these stateless Muslims, in reality, it has not done much. For the present Malaysian government, the Rohingya issue is an issue that they can capitalise on in order to maximise political gains, especially in the light of the coming general election. There is nothing more to this, but an empty propaganda.

While Malaysia has little or no tolerance for Muslim intellectuals like Akyol, it has all the time for the Muslim preacher from Bombay, Zakir Naik. Naik is wanted by India for his alleged role in money laundering, links with underworld figures like Dawood Ibrahim and for promoting terrorist activities, but Malaysia has ignored these matters and has gone ahead to give him VIP treatment to the extent of bestowing upon him the status of a permanent resident.

There are rumors that Naik is still in Malaysia, but these cannot be verified. Meanwhile, the Indian authorities might not be pleased that Malaysia might not be telling the truth as to the whereabouts of Naik.

It is real shame that Muslim intellectuals like Akyol should be deported on the grounds that he did not have the “right” religious credentials. But the real reason might be something else.

The Turkish Diaspora’s opposition to the Erdogan regime might be the real reason. So, unashamedly, the Malaysian authorities are functioning at the behest of the regime in Turkey.

P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister and DAP deputy secretary-general.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.