Malaysian Shias protest discrimination

A prominent Malaysian Shia leader says government officials are systematically violating the basic rights of the community members in the Southeast Asian country.

Kamil Zuhairi Abdul Aziz said that the Shia Muslims had submitted a protest letter to the national human rights commission on Tuesday.

He also blasted the arrest of more than 200 Muslim Shias, including Iranians, Indonesians and Pakistanis, at an Ashura mourning ceremony.

“The officers broke into and damaged our prayer hall, a private property where we were having special prayers for the Prophet Mohammed’s grandchildren,” AFP quoted him as saying.

On Ashura day, Shia Muslims hold mourning ceremonies to pay homage to martyred Imam Hossein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and 72 of his companions and family members in Karbala, Iraq, over 1,300 years ago.

“If other communities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and others have their right to worship and practice under the constitution then why not us,” Kamil Zuhairi added.

He went on to say that thousands of Shia Muslims in Malaysia practice their faith behind closed doors for fear of being targeted by the authorities.

“We were condemned, criticized, slandered and threatened in local media just because we practice what had been preached by our ancestors who were Shiites and have lived in Malaysia for centuries.”

Shias make up more than one third of Muslims population worldwide. They also represent the majority population in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran and Bahrain and form significant communities in Afghanistan, Indonesia, India, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.