Kudos to Kassim SA for not mincing his words and for calling the National Fatwa Committee's (NFC) bluff on form over substance in the Kongsi-Raya debacle. The NFC's standing would be better enhanced by addressing issues such as governance, transparency, corruption, social graces and concern for the marginalised in society.

Is Kassim a liberal? I think not. He's just applying common sense and decency in a world that seems to be short on both. Even if they label you a liberal Kassim, take heart. Moderates within Germany who spoke out at one time were labelled 'liberals'. The communists also applied the same label to their enemies and persecuted them.

I once considered becoming a Muslim. Not because I wanted to marry a Muslim or because I wanted my children to attain a bumi status.

It was because my Malay neighbour volunteered to look after and feed our dog during our many school holidays away from home. This she did despite our dog gnashing her precious grandson's finger one day during one of its more excitable moods. We always felt bad for this.

But Nenek was the truest Muslim I've ever encountered in person, bless her soul. With one simple gesture, she showed me what 'universal brother or sisterhood' means. She never preached her religion to us. She just lived it. She just treated us like one of her own 'cucu' and 'cicit'. That was 20 years ago. Would you call her a liberal? I think not.

Today, if you ask me whether I'd consider converting to Islam the way it is being officially promulgated and practised in Malaysia, the answer would be a definite 'no'.

Nevertheless, I still hold a special place in my heart for the type of Islam that Nenek lived and breathed despite it being an endangered species today. It will probably die out shortly if it weren't for the likes of Kassim who are willing to speak truth to power.