The exclusive club syndrome

Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Many of my Muslim friends are no longer my friends because of what they regard as my deviant views of Islam. Of course, to most Muslims, ‘deviant’ means any view that you have which differs from theirs. As long as you do not also believe in what they believe then you are a deviant.

In the old days, those who thought that the world was round rather than flat were deviants because the majority believed that the world was flat. And the church was extremely uncompromising towards those perceived as deviants.

Years back I said that racism is haram and frowned upon by Islam. The response from many was: which Islamic university did I attend to be able to talk like that? Can I even speak Arabic, they asked.

That is an old trick they used in medieval times as well to deny the population their own understanding of religion. Only those who spoke Latin could interpret religion. It became a sort of exclusive club. The fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic and not Latin failed to grab their attention.

Christianity has since progressed beyond that. But Islam is still suffering from what Christianity suffered more than 1,000 years ago. Islamic critical thinking is not tolerated because the interpretation of Islam is the monopoly of this exclusive club where membership is denied to those without the right credentials.

And Raja Petra Kamarudin does not possess these right credentials: thus one of the reasons of my ISA detention in 2008.

But what have I said that the people with the right credentials have not also said? I said that racism is haramand that the Prophet Muhammad himself said so in his last sermon in Arafah.

Today, the ex-Mufti of Perlis and the spiritual adviser of PAS have both said the same thing. But I get detained without trial for saying what those with the right credentials have also said.

I said that Jihad is not a war where suicide bombers kill innocent women and children but your personal struggle (or war) against greed, lust (lust for power included), pride (which also breeds racism: pride of your race), ego, vanity, jealousy, etc.

Now, many of those with the right credentials are saying the same thing.

I said that Hijrah is not just about the Prophet migrating from Mekah to Medina but more about you ‘migrating’ from the old you to the new you -- basically transforming or reforming yourself.

New Year’s Day 2011 will soon up be upon us. If you make your New Year’s Resolution to stop smoking, stop visiting massage parlours, stop cheating on your income tax, stop beating your wife, stop raping your daughter, stop siphoning money from your company’s petty cash box, stop taking commission from contractors, stop awarding contracts to your family and friends, and whatnot, that is Hijrah -- you Hijrah from a life of sin to a life of repentance.

Now Bernama, the government-owned propaganda agency, also says the same thing. But then the man quoted by Bernama is someone with the right credentials while I am not.

Religion since time immemorial has been used by those at the top of the religious hierarchy to imprison the minds of the populace. And those who question them suffer persecution.

This has not changed over thousands of years. It is comforting to know though that what I have been saying for years and which resulted in me being branded a deviant is now being said by those with the proper credentials to speak.

Some may call me an Atheist. Some call me an Agnostic. Some may even call me anti-religion. Rest assured it is not for man to decide what I am and am not. That is the exclusive domain of God to decide what His creations are or are not.

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Hijrah: Time for Muslims to Reflect on Al-Quran

BERNAMA

The Maal Hijrah, which is also called Awal Muharram, is an important day for Muslims not only to commemorate the hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina but also to reflect on their inner self and deeds.

The Hijrah that occurred 1432 years ago is still relevant in its essence today that goes beyond the physical migration, the migration from ignorance to englightment through the Al Quran.

Every year the Maal Hijrah is celebrated by recalling the historic migration that is also the cornerstone of Islam.

The Essence of Hijrah

According to the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia's (Ikim) Director General Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan, Hijrah is more than the physical migration from Mecca to Medina.

“Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah from Mecca to Medina is not just a change of place but a change in the system and values of a society based on the teachings of Al Quran that emphasises on truth, fairness and compassion.”

“So the meaning of Hijrah is all encompassing. Unfortunately, our society today view Hijrah literally on the context of physical migration that does not give the actual picture of this remarkable event,” he explained.

He hoped that the Muslims would see the Hijrah beyond the physical migration and dwell deep into the lessons that they can learn from Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah.

The Virtues of Hijrah

According to Nik Mustapha, Prophet Muhammad's Hijrah helped to create a highly civilised society anchored on iktikad (belief) and syahadah (attestation) of the faith and Allah Almighty.

The Prophet Muhammad wanted to establish a new bastion for Islam and restructure the society in Medina into a highly civilised society based on Al-Quran.

Based on the divine revelation in surah Al-Anbiya:107 that literally means

"We have sent you out of mercy from us towards the whole world," the Prophet Muhammad took on the role as Allah's messenger in establishing an Islamic administration through the Medina Charter.

“The ingenuity and skills of the Prophet Muhammad during Hijrah should be emulated. The way the Prophet won back Mecca through the Hudaibiah Treaty without going to war. The way the Prophet united the people by asking them to seek the truth, fairness and compassion through the Al-Quran.

Hijrah in the Present Day Context

The lessons to be learnt by Muslims today is how Prophet Muhammad brilliantly established the faith in the society then.

The other virtue will be how Prophet Muhammad planned his rule to strengthen Islam and the Muslims in Madinah. One of the good examples is that he turned the Nabawi mosque into a place of worship and congregation for Muslims.

According to Nik Mustapha, the mosque during Prophet Muhammad's time were the centres for human activities in matters relating to this world and hereafter, unlike in Malaysia today where the mosque activities is limited to religious affairs only.

He also called upon Muslims to absorb the Al-Quran in them.

“Parents have to capitalise on this opportunity to emphasise on the teachings of the Al-Quran that advocates truth, fairness and compassion. This is the spirit that we have to comprehend in our lives.

The same goes to an organisation, each leader must work to instill these three elements in implementing the universal values of Islam.

He pointed out the essence of Hijrah not only calls for the change within oneself for the better, but also to emulate the ways how Prophet Muhammad planned and administered a system based on divine revelation for the mankind.