 In August 2017, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim declared that "atheism is against the Constitution and the basic human rights" in Malaysia since "there is no provision on atheism" in the Constitution.Shahidan wanted atheists and atheist groups like the Kuala Lumpur chapter of Atheist Republic to be identified and hunted down.He also stated that "we need to restore the faith back in them, especially for Muslims.