The rally planned for tomorrow (Feb 7) is ostensibly to pressure the authorities to take action against “illegal” houses of worship, especially Hindu temples.

That, I believe, is not the real reason.

I think the rally, among other reasons which I shall discuss below, is to embarrass Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who will be playing host to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same day.

Reports say a coalition of 141 NGOs, led by independent preacher Zamri Vinoth, plans to hold the rally outside the Sogo shopping mall.

Some groups have called on the police not to allow the rally as they fear it could raise inter-religious tension.

The Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), which is part of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, has urged partners PAS and Bersatu not to get involved in the rally.

MIPP information chief Justin Prabakaran noted that many of the houses of worship currently being questioned were built long before current laws and regulations existed.

“As such, labelling these houses of worship as ‘illegal’ is inappropriate, inaccurate, and misleading,” he said, adding: “This matter should be addressed through proper legal channels, guided by principles of justice and good governance, rather than through religious rhetoric or political sentiment.”

Another PN partner, Gerakan, also criticised the planned rally, saying the Peaceful Assembly Act should not be misused to allow racial and religious provocation.

But PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari brushed off such criticism on Feb 5, saying the rally was merely intended to champion the rule of law.

“There’s no need for it to be obstructed. There’s no need for anyone to be afraid,” he said.

Personally, I have no objection to any group holding rallies or demonstrations as long as they are well-intentioned, peaceful and orderly.

But is this rally well-intentioned?

When Malaysians talk about “illegal” temples, they most often refer to Hindu temples and shrines that were built during British colonial days, long before the existence of detailed land and local council laws and even many local councils.

The “illegal” temple issue became a major topic in March last year following a proposal to relocate the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple off Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur, to make way for the construction of a mosque.

When the temple was built, there was no Kuala Lumpur City Hall. The temple was not seen as occupying land illegally at that time.

FMT reported that the temple committee applied in 2012 to convert the land title to that of land reserved for a non-Muslim house of worship, but that this application failed. The same year, DBKL sold the land to Jakel Trading, part of the diversified family-owned Jakel Group. It was then decided that a mosque be built on this land.

The media was full of it, as was social media. Some people even made maps of so-called illegal Hindu temples and there were calls to act against such temples.

I was told that subsequent to this, some temples were visited by local authority and land office staff to ascertain if the temple was indeed situated on its own land.

As I recall, no one organised a rally at that time against “illegal” temples or houses of worship.

I don’t know of any temple being asked to relocate or being seen as encroaching on government land over the past few weeks.

So, why has this become an issue now? And why is it being held on Feb 7?

The way I see it, the rally is being held to embarrass Anwar who will be hosting Modi.

The Indian prime minister will hold bilateral discussions with Anwar during his two-day visit. He will interact with industry and business representatives, and also members of the Indian community.

The rally, it therefore appears, is aimed at Anwar.

It is also to give the impression that Malay-Muslims are losing their control or dominance in the nation under the Anwar administration. It is to give the impression that Anwar is not serious about safeguarding the interests of Malays and Muslims.

I suspect the timing of the rally is also to send a message to Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party – a Hindu party – leads the government of India.

Some Muslims in Malaysia – including former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad – don’t like Modi, especially the latter’s policy in Kashmir.

They can’t very well protest his presence, but they can do what, in their mind, is the next best thing.

Also, I’m wondering if this is in any way connected to controversial preacher Zakir Naik who has sought refuge in Malaysia. I’m asking this because Zamri, a convert, is his follower.

Remember, in June 2019, Zamri was reported as saying: “If the government extradites Zakir, I will not hesitate to surrender my IC.”

We all know that the Modi government had requested Malaysia in the past to extradite Naik. Last year, while speaking at an interactive session at the Indian Council of World Affairs, Anwar said his government might consider India’s request to extradite Naik if it provided evidence against him.

Last October, Malaysian high commissioner to India Muzafar Shah Mustafa said Malaysia was ready to cooperate with India’s extradition request through the legal and judicial process.

Reuters previously reported that Naik was facing charges of money laundering and hate speech in India and that he had been accused of “promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India through public speeches and lectures”.

Naik, however, has insisted that he has not broken any Indian law and that he was being targeted by the “enemies of Islam”.

Putting all this together – especially the timing – I am suspicious of the real motive of this rally.

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