Shahbudin: Many taken in if religion is cited

It seems that there are also non-Muslims who follow the teachings of Islam and try to profit from the religion.

KUALA LUMPUR: A political analyst cautions against taking the view that anything in the name of Islam can be considered acceptable, totally good and unquestionable. “Anything that goes on must be evaluated very carefully, in depth, comprehensively, before being accepted as good or considered otherwise.”

By the same token, said Shahbudin Husin the analyst, the same logic indirectly tells us not to fall that easily for umrah (minor haj), jubah, pictures taken in front of the Kaabah and prayers at certain places as if through all these, one’s sins from before can be considered as something acceptable.

It’s clear that when religion becomes a convenient vehicle to blur views, said the analyst, those who consider themselves as humans with thinking faculties, should not easily lose the ability to weigh the consequences just because of outward appearances. “So long as people take things for granted, become complacent or rest on their laurels, for that long, religion will become a commodity to be bought and sold in search of positions and money and to maintain positions.”

Shahbudin was commenting on former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad taking the view that the new airline Rayani Air was all about making use of Islam to rake in business. “We find its owners are not Muslims. So, it seems that there are also non-Muslims who follow Islamic teachings. They get profits from Islam,” Shahbudin quoted Mahathir as saying. “The former Prime Minister said that these days, there are all sorts of ways people try to profit from what’s stated as the dictates of Islam.”

What can we make of the logic in Mahathir’s statement?

Although Mahathir’s subject was Rayani Air, said the analyst, it can be deduced that he was actually trying to get us to think about what has been happening in the country in the last two days. “Mahathir was inviting us to think deeply and not get sentimental but to catch the drift when something is placed before us in the name of religion.”