Islam under siege?’ Pembela suffers paranoia

I agree with Pembela’s suggestion that Islam is under siege but not for the reasons they cited. Islam as practiced in Malaysia is under siege because of other factors.

Among some of the more common ones we know:

Islam is under siege because of the way the government has used religion as a political tool often resulting in disharmony not only among non-Muslims but Muslims and that was evident in the 1980s when Muslims from PAS and Umno accused each other of being ‘infidels.’

Islam is under siege from within, not from without. Its greatest threat is from Muslims who do evil and act unjustly against others and its own teachings and our sense of moral decency and conscience.

Islam is under siege when politicians wrongly declare Malaysia, a secular state with Islam as the official religion, as a Muslim state but adopts measures that are anything but Islamic in its political activities.

For example, the continued victimization of Anwar Ibrahim is a classic example of anti-Islamic, anti-justice and anti-everything to the fair-minded person. Such audacious double-standards defame the justice that Islam teaches after all many non-Muslim leaders have expressed their concerns over what they deem as a political conspiracy against Anwar.

It is such demeaning conduct – when a supposed Muslim government can treat one of their own Muslims and fellow Malay in this manner – that hurts the image of Islam more than what Pembela suggests.

Islam is under siege when Muslims act corruptly. Who are the most corrupt citizens in the country? ‘Cari makan,’ has become a joke among Malaysians when they see the cops who are virtually all Muslims collecting their dues from errant motorists along the roads.

Does practice reflect the preaching?

Islam is under siege when Muslim politicians tell lies. Remember the ‘he [Anwar] hit himself’ black-eye incident? In the same breath that the former premier declared Malaysia an Islamic state, Dr Mahathir Mohamad made the above statement without batting an eyelid. And when the truth was exposed did he apologise for his mistake? Adding insult to injury and conspiring to destroy another Muslim is what hurts the image of Muslims that in turn besieges the name of Islam.

When the then Mufti of Perak caused a near riot outside a Catholic church with the lie that many Muslim children were to be baptized, did he apologise for his mistake?

Islam is under siege when earnest and sincere Muslims try to reform their country as Prophet Muhammed did in his time but are wrongfully and unfairly persecuted and prosecuted. And like the Prophet they had to flee the country.

National Union of Journalist president Hata Wahari appeals his unfair dismissal by his employer Utusan Malaysia but how many government-sponsored Muslim leaders have stood behind Hata’s gallant efforts to stand up for justice?

Is it good for Islam to have Muslims spreading the infamous ‘sex video’ and corrupting public morals? Why is there not uproar against another sinful and shameful plot by Muslims to destroy a fellow Muslim? Slander is an odious sin and not taken by God lightly.

Islam is under greater siege when Muslims do not practice what they preach and conduct their lives in a way abhorrent to Islam’s teachings. Fortunately intelligent Malaysians can discern between the real Muslims and the hypocrites who only use religion for political purposes and when it suits them.

Separation of religion and state

Pembela should not be concerned that Islam’s role is under threat from non-Muslims. It is their ignorance and failure to understand that unlike Islam, other religions are not concerned about the Kingdom of Man and political power for power’s sake.

For example to Christians the Kingdom of God is not of this world, so Christians are taught to respect authority and be at peace with all peoples regardless of their political or religious persuasions and be doers of good works. They are not interested in gaining the political ascendancy and controlling others in the name of their religion.

But that is not to say Christians are not become involved in politics and to be the salt of the earth in making societies more upright. It is ignorance of the religion that results in paranoia.

Pembela’s suggestion that because Idris Jala is a Christian he is unsuitable to manage the Allah and Alkitab problems is misguided. It is like saying because the judge is a man he should not judge any case involving a woman, or that disputes between people of different religions cannot be resolved if the mediator is of one of the religions. Perhaps people used to being biased can’t imagine others are not biased.

Extend the logic of Pembela’s argument and one may as well say the Malay-dominated government can do no good for non-Malays, which is not true. The government despite its shortcomings can still act fairly, otherwise every traffic accident between Malays and non-Malays will see the non-Malay guilty every time using Pembela’s logic.

Idris walks a tightrope and all that he is expected to do in the Allah and Alkitab fiasco is to honour the Constitution and respect the Constitutional rights of the Christians. He has achieved this to a degree and the government can be thankful they have a man of his calibre in their team. He has to be careful that ‘bad company does not corrupt good character.’

The things Malaysians do

If restoring the rights of citizens is considered besieging Islam and threatening the role of Islam as the official religion in the country then I fear Pembela suffers from a bout of paranoia.

Such thinking does no justice to the greatness of Islamic thinking in a bygone era, and no wonder when I mention to other Muslims abroad some of the things that Malaysian Muslims do in this country they simply shake their heads in disbelief.

The position of Islam is safeguarded by the Constitution and no one who believes in its sanctity will do anything unconstitutional against it.

Anyone who has seen the rapid pace of Islamization in the country and who turns around and says Islam is besieged by non-Muslims needs to get his head examined or eyesight tested.

The truth is it should be the non-Muslims, the Christians especially, who should be saying Christianity is besieged, and proven by the diktats over the years of unfair government policies and the number of churches torched and attacked, their places of worship restricted, and their Alkitab banned.

In his article ‘Surely not another 50 Years of Islamization?’ Yin Ee Kiong traces the changes that took place from 1957 till today, and any fair-minded person can see the devolution of Christianity in Malaysian society conversely with the rise of Islamization.

While Christians seek justice to redress wrongs it does not stop them from still loving their enemies and those that persecute them.

Proving Islam’s claim of compassion

I hope religious leaders will act and speak more responsibly and display the compassion and understanding they claim their religion teaches and focus on the real reasons why Islam is besieged.

Malaysia is a wonderful country and big enough for everyone if we respect our vast diversity and reach out to help, not destroy, one another. Promoting a ‘they’-and-‘us’ mentality purely to appease those with the political agenda may indeed do more harm to Islam’s image than anything else.

Those in Pembela may be surprised to discover that Islam has much more in common with other religions in wanting to see the truth, justice and compassion exist in the country.

Ultimately we are accountable to God and not any political party which has no recognition in the afterlife or any authority to deal with our souls. Love one another and reach out to one another because we are all sojourners and God is righteous and will protect the upright and the truth. - cpi