Islamic Malay Gambling Laws Anger Chinese Malaysian Dhimmi Gambler

We’ve received an email from an angry and upset Malaysian Chinese non-Muslim who was recently arrested in one of the daily raids on internet cafes which target non-Muslim gamers. Malaysian gambling laws are becoming more restrictive as the country is beginning to implement Sharia Islamic religious laws in individual provinces.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and despite promises of religious freedom, each newly born ethnic Malay automatically becomes a Sunni Muslim from the moment of birth by constitutional law.

Muslims make up 60% of the country, non-Muslim Malaysian Chinese make up 24% and non-Muslim Indians 8%. The remainder is racial mixes – Europeans and native tribes.

The writer of the letter below asked to withhold his name out of fear of religious reprisals.

Section 4B (A) of the Malaysian Common Gaming Houses Act 1952, one of the harshest of Malaysian gambling laws is outdated. I will not challenge that the Malaysian gambling laws was not broken; when ethnic Chinese Malaysians re caught gambling at the internet cafes connected to foreign based online casino in Malaysiathey are breaking a ridiculous Religious based Islamic law despite the government’s best efforts to obfuscate the situation.

The Malaysian government should understand that no free adult is going to listen to unreasonable demands forbidding them to play cards in Malaysia with their friends in a public place of their choice as they had done for hundreds of years. We are Chinese Malaysians. We are not Muslims. Why are we being forced to obey Muslim laws?!?

At the least the police and government should respect their privacy and be considerate by at least leaving gamblers alone if legalizing is not politically feasible. The Malaysian gambling law in this case is insulting and unreasonable.

The law allows non-Muslims to play the state operated 4D lottery which is also gambling. 4D lottery is really quite dull, not fun like online bingo games in Malaysia, roulette, cards or slots jackpot. 4D is just as costly in terms of problem gambling, and it’s is EVERYWHERE.

Instead of sneaking around breaking the Malaysian gambling laws, I ask that all minority non-Muslim peoples be allowed to gamble with REAL cards and dice or jackpot machines in commercial areas via legalization of all forms of gambling in Malaysia for non-Muslims.

All legal providers of 4D lottery are licensed and that license could easily be expanded to include cards and jackpot games. There is absolutely no difference between those three forms of gambling in Malaysia.

It is time that the Muslim controlled Barisan Nasional political coalition (BN) stopped irritating the minority non-Muslim populations by denying them their gambling entertainment on the basis of semantics and technicalities.

My suggestion of limiting losses through the use of a player identification card that prevents gamblers from losing more than 30% of their salary or savings account balance will work perfectly despite its overall invasive nature.

Malay Muslims should not say that gambling is not part of non-Muslim culture and suspend MPs like Goh Leong San for raising valid issues to defend minority rights.

Muslim politicians know very well that at funeral wakes, just to name an instance, Chinese do gamble and also during New Year as well. It’s a tradition that goes back to times before Kuala Lampur, Rome, Athens and Jerusalem were even a city. You cannot pretend it is not part of our culture and suspend an MP for demanding what is a non-Muslim right.

If you don’t gamble as a Muslim fine, but don’t try to dictate what kind of gambling is allowed to non-Muslims. It is their right as free humans on a free planet, barring reasonable zoning restrictions or proximity to religious establishments.

If anything this is just about oppressing the Dhimmi Chinese non-Muslims and being rude to them and other non-Muslims who gamble. Who cares if they gamble? This is akin to disallowing of eating of pork or drinking of alcohol for non-Muslims.

It is time to vote for Malaysian MPs or a political coalition with COMMON SENSE and sensitivity to other races!