‘Don’t tell Muslims how to be Muslims’

When one's religion affects the life of another, the "affected" party has all the right to have a say in the matter.

COMMENT

I received an interesting message from a reader a few months ago.

“Why are you washing our dirty linen in public?” he asked, referring to my series of articles about Islam and Muslims in Malaysia.

“Why not?” I replied.

“Because you are tarnishing the image of our religion,” he said.

“Don’t you think it is already tarnished?” I responded.

“And you are damaging it further,” he stressed.

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, I am highlighting the need to get our dirty linen washed,” I explained.

He became silent for a while before responding, “There are proper channels for that”.

“And where would you propose we wash our dirty linen?” I asked.

“The religious authorities will handle that,” he answered.

“You mean the same channel which made it dirty in the first place?”

There was no reply.

After a long period of silence, today I heard from the same reader once again. This time, he sent me a link to an article on Dato’ Farida of the G25 movement, who mentioned in a press conference that khalwat or close proximity was a “personal sin” and should not be regarded as a crime in Malaysia.

“Read the comments. See what the kafirs are saying about Islam,” he noted.

“What are they saying?” pretending not to know, I asked for clarification after having read the very long comment thread.

“They speak as if they are the experts of Islam!”

“You have a point there. They are not the experts. We are clearly the experts when it comes to Islam – that is why we are in desperate need of religious authorities like Jakim,” knowingly I poked the hornet’s nest.

“Alhamdulillah, I am glad you agree with me,” he said, clearly missing my sarcasm. “Please write an article to send a message to all non-Muslims to stop telling us how to be Muslims. Make it clear that no one should interfere with the religions of others.”

Since I appreciate him taking his time to contact me, I decided to write on the topic as requested.

I do wholeheartedly agree that no one should interfere with another’s religion. However, when one’s religion affects the life of another’s – I believe the “affected” party has all the right to have a say in the matter.

Allow me to refresh your memory:

Muslim students separated from non-Muslims in classrooms to give way for religious classes.

Non-Muslim students forced to consume food in toilet areas during the fasting month.

Double and triple parking along main roads due to Friday prayers at mosques.

Loud calls for prayers or azan.

The unplanned building of mosques that bring down the prices of homes in neighbourhoods.

Disturbances by religious authorities who conduct checks at hotel rooms for suspected khalwat regardless of the religion of its occupants.

In addition, while we warn them to stay away from our right to practise our religion, we do not allow them to practise theirs their own way.

Are they given the same rights as us to have temples and churches in every neighbourhood?

Have you ever seen mosques located in shop lots the way their places of worship are?

Have you ever heard of non-Muslims removing loudspeakers from mosques, worried that the sound of azan might brainwash their young?

Are Muslim students forced to consume non-veggie meals in toilet areas every Friday when most Hindus are vegetarian?

Get my drift?

Mind you, while Islam is constitutionally the official religion of Malaysia, the same constitution also gives the right to everyone else to practice their own faith. So where do we draw the line between what the non-Muslims can or cannot do and what we, as the majority can and cannot do?

Being the majority doesn’t give us the right to set the rules for others. That is oppression. At least what we can do is have the courage to admit that we are fine oppressing the minorities because well, we are ignorant and selfish.

And if it is our wish to continue oppressing the non-Muslims, have some decency to allow them to speak their minds – or are we going to deny them the right to state their opinions too?

I leave you with these words of Allah SWT as per Chapter 109 of the Al-Kafiruun:

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

Say, O ye disbelievers!

I worship not that which you worship;

Nor you worship what I worship.

And I am not going to worship that which you worship;

Nor will you worship what I worship.

For you your religion, and for me my religion.