If just everyone practiced adeen

It is not enough that you believe in God, Prophet Muhammad, the Quran, etc. It is not enough that you fulfil your five times a day prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, go to Mekah, etc. It is not enough that you do not eat pork, gamble, drink liquor, etc. There are other things you need to do to be a complete Muslim. And that would be to also live the life of a Muslim.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

MCA rejects PAS ‘addin’ move

(The Star) - The MCA rejects PAS' proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution by replacing “Islam as the religion of the Federation” to “Islam is addin (a way of life)” as it will affect non-Muslim minority communities who do not practise that way of life.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said when religion is imposed as a way of life for the majority, this will have an impact on a country that is made up of people of many faiths and cultures.

“It will create many issues relating to the do's and don'ts,” he said after the MCA presidential council meeting here yesterday.

Dr Chua said that this could be seen in states ruled by PAS such as the banning of alcohol.

On May 2, PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang told the media that Pakatan Rakyat would amend the Federal Constitution by replacing “Islam as the religion of the Federation” to “Islam is addin (a way of life)” if it came into power. 

He had argued that the current definition of Islam as the official religion of the country did not do justice to the religion and suggested that the legislation in this country be interpreted according to the tenets of Islam.

Dr Chua said the proposed move would not promote integration and harmony as envisioned by the Prime Minister through the 1Malaysia concept because the people would be divided as Muslim and non-Muslim. 

“We are disappointed that DAP is quiet about this. They cannot control PAS and can be considered as a political eunuch as they do not have the power or are bold enough to control PAS,” he said.

Dr Chua said that MCA respects Islam as the official religion and the freedom for people to practise their respective faiths and urged people to consider the matter wisely as PAS pushes forward its agenda without consultation with its coalition partners.

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Let me get this right. Chua Soi Lek is opposed to Islam as a way of life. And he opposes it because, according to him, it will affect the non-Muslim minority communities who do not practise that way of life.

Is Soi Lek admitting that non-Muslims are like animals? How can you be opposed to something good and noble? Or does Soi Lek not understand what way of life means, and I mean, of course, a proper way of life?

If you were to read what many western scholars say -- quite a majority of them non-Muslims and hence they are regarded as ‘Orientalists’ -- you will understand that Islam is not actually a religion, although the man on the street refers to Islam as a religion. Islam, as even the non-Muslims scholars admit, is a way of life. Hence the word ‘adeen’. 

Religion is a belief system. You believe that God exists and that God sent down a Prophet to humankind and that there are Holy Books and whatnot. Within this belief system is a set of rituals and practices -- such as praying, etc. If you do not believe in God then you would not have a religion and likewise you would not be practicing any of the rituals associated with any particular religion.

Islam, however, goes beyond that. It is not enough that you believe in God and the Prophet of God or that you practice all the rituals associated with Islam. You must also conduct yourself in a certain manner.

And this is where many Muslims fail. Their belief system may be intact (what Muslims would call ‘akidah’) and they may even be a practicing Muslim who fulfils all the obligations as far as rituals are concerned, but they fail to score points when it come to living the life of a Muslim, the adeen of Islam.

And this is where the problem lies.

It is not enough that you believe in God, Prophet Muhammad, the Quran, etc. It is not enough that you fulfil your five times a day prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, go to Mekah, etc. It is not enough that you do not eat pork, gamble, drink liquor, etc. There are other things you need to do to be a complete Muslim. And that would be to also live the life of a Muslim.

For example, if you go to your neighbour’s house and the husband is not in and the wife is alone at home, you should not enter the house. You go off and come back later when the husband is home. If you still need to talk to the wife about something very urgent, then you stand outside at a respectable distance and do not touch her, not even to shake her hand.

That is adeen. And does Soi Lek mean to say that this is offensive to non-Muslims and should be opposed? But why? Would you not think that this is a most decent thing to do? Surely you do not like your neighbour coming into your home when your wife is alone.

Do you remember that case where the Pulau Ketam Chinese residents rounded up hundreds of stray dogs and abandoned them on a deserted island where there was no food and water? The dogs were so starved that they ate each other. The dogs practically turned cannibals.

Many jumped into the sea to try to swim back to Pulua Ketam and drowned in the process. Those that were strong enough to reach Pulau Ketam were pushed back into the sea and held down until they drowned. 

Islam is against this.

There is this story where the Prophet Muhammad saw a prostitute give a thirsty dog a drink of water and the Prophet commented that she is destined for heaven. The Prophet’s companions could not understand how a prostitute could get into heaven and the Prophet explained that she had shown compassion to the dog. That was why she was going to heaven. 

So you see, Islam stresses on the importance of compassion to animals, even if it is a dog, which most Muslims would not even touch. That is the way of life of a Muslim and the proper adeen for Islam. The Chinese residents of Pulau Ketam, however, did the opposite of this and that was so sad. 

I was actually very upset with that incident and I phoned YB Ronnie Liu to tell him so. I did not spare my words and I believe they later launched a campaign to save the remaining dogs on that island. Unfortunately, more than half had already died by then. 

My ‘struggle’ is not just about civil liberties and human rights. That is only a small part of my concerns. How they treat animals is also one of my concerns. And don’t think that only the Chinese treat animals badly. Have you seen what those Malay council workers do to stray dogs? It brings tears to my eyes.

By the way, I donate money every month to the dogs’ home here in Manchester so if you too want to do the same you can get in touch with me. I would be very happy to receive your donations, which I assure you would all go to the dogs’ home without any ‘cukai’.

I just love dogs. Don’t you?

Anyway, don’t oppose adeen or the way of life just because you hate Islam. If all Muslims practice proper adeen then most of the problems Malaysia is facing would go away.

For example, racism, discrimination, persecution, intolerance, abuse of power, bad governance, corruption, police brutality, manipulation of the judiciary, and many more would not exist if Malays followed the way of life or adeen of Islam. But when the Malays, just like Soi Lek, think that Islam is merely about a system of beliefs and a set of rituals and not more than that, that is when we begin to see so many problems in the country.

So, please, Soi Lek, don’t oppose adeen. In fact, you should support it whole-heartedly. If the Muslims practiced adeen, then all the problems that the non-Muslims currently face would go away. Or is it you want the non-Muslims to continue facing problems so that MCA can politicise the issue?

Hmm…that could be it. Or else why would MCA oppose something good?