When a joke is not funny at all …

‘Making sexual jokes involving Catholic nuns and priests is unacceptable. Religion and religious figures must always be treated with respect.’

As a Catholic, I am offended, of course.

Anything crude touching on members of a religious group cannot be considered a joke, much less something funny. There is a line that should never be crossed, particularly in a country as multi-religious as ours.

Unfortunately, an Umno delegate addressing the party’s general assembly over the weekend crossed that red line.

I wonder what was on his mind when he decided to tell a religion-based joke involving Catholic priests and nuns, and even worse, attributed its punchline to the Bible.

Surely, most Malaysians, whether in politics or otherwise, would know better.

We are followers of various faiths and have lived alongside one another for generations. We may worship differently, observe different religious practices and hold different beliefs, but we have generally understood one important principle – respect one another.

That respect is not written in some great national rulebook. It is largely unwritten, but it is understood and practised by ordinary Malaysians every day – people like you and me. That is precisely why religion should be treated as a red line in political discourse.

I therefore say kudos to the Umno leaders who have ticked off Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said and called on him to apologise for his lewd remarks involving the Catholic clergy.

Sabah Umno veteran Datuk Salleh Said Keruak was right when he said that sexual jokes involving Catholic nuns and priests were unacceptable and that religious figures must always be treated with respect.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh also made an equally important point. If the same joke had been directed at an imam and Muslims, would we not be angry?

Exactly. We cannot demand respect for our own religion while laughing when someone else’s faith is ridiculed. That is not tolerance. That is hypocrisy. So, well said, Akmal. I hope you will remain level-headed as you are now.

Noorazli’s attempt at humour is particularly unfortunate because the joke apparently hinged on a reference to Psalm 129 in the Bible which does not actually appear in that chapter.

So there was not only an offensive joke, but also a false religious reference.

(At the time of writing, Noorazli had not apologised. I hope he will do so sincerely in good time and without being forced into it.)

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society of Kuala Lumpur has also called for a full apology and said it would lodge a police report.

I hope this incident will not become another excuse for Malaysians to retreat into their respective religious and racial corners.

Instead, let us treat it as a lesson. There is something beautiful about Malaysia’s unwritten tradition of respecting the faiths and religious practices of one another. We must preserve it.

And perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in Sabah and Sarawak. I say this proudly as a Sarawakian.

We in Sarawak have our differences, certainly. We have our politics, our ethnic identities and our religious beliefs. But many of us have grown up learning to live with those differences rather than weaponising them. Sabah has its own remarkable tradition of religious and racial harmony as well.

Interestingly, Umno deputy president Datuk Mohamad Hasan himself recently acknowledged this during the party assembly. He called on people in Malaya to emulate the tolerance and harmony practised in Sarawak.

That is a message worth listening to. Instead of constantly telling Sabahans and Sarawakians how Malaysia should be run, perhaps West Malaysians should occasionally look across the South China Sea and learn something from Borneo.

Religion should unite us, not become ammunition for political point-scoring. This is where all political parties have a responsibility.

Every political party, big or small and from both sides, must make it absolutely clear to their members – do not cross this line.

Political rivalry is healthy. Robust debate is necessary. Criticism of governments and politicians is part of democracy.

But ridiculing another person’s faith, religious leaders or sacred texts is something else altogether. There is nothing courageous or clever about it. It is simply irresponsible.

We should not wait for another controversy, another police report or another angry reaction from a religious community before reminding our politicians where the red line is.

Tell them now. Religion is not a punchline. Faith is not political ammunition. And another person’s sacred beliefs are not material for cheap laughs.

Let this Noorazli incident be the last time we have to say it. Our political leaders must ensure that it never happens again.

I promise to do my part as a private citizen. To my fellow Christians who are politicians, I will remind them via my writing, time and again never, ever to cross that red line, as any form of religious provocation can only be detrimental to the sacred and beautiful tolerance and harmony we have nurtured for so long in our beloved homeland.

Peace and love to all who believe in the One Heavenly God above.

The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. He can be reached at [email protected].