Rekindling the torch for Islam

A US-based scholar says Muslims across the world are looking at Malaysia with hope.

PETALING JAYA: A US-based scholar has characterised Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election victory as a source of inspiration for Muslims around the world who believe in Islam’s compatibility with democracy.

Nader Hashemi, who heads the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, said the new government was being seen as one that would honour human rights and be uncompromising in its fight against corruption, unlike the administration before it.

“Donald Trump, the House of Saud and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were strong supporters of former prime minister Najib Razak,” he said.

“To see him defeated by a group that campaigned on the platform of human rights, anti-corruption and the restoration of democracy is a huge source of inspiration during this moment of darkness for Muslim democratic forces, especially for those in the Middle East who are suffering under the yoke of authoritarian regimes.”

He said PH’s victory came against the backdrop of a global rise of authoritarianism and decline of democracy.

“With respect to the Islamic world, we are facing dark days, punctuated by surrender, defeat and madness. Look at what is happening today to the Palestinians, to the Rohingya, to the people of Syria, Yemen, Egypt and beyond.”

Nader recalled a time in the 1990s when he was living in Canada and was involved with several Muslim student groups.

“The news from Malaysia that we were hearing was that it was an emerging democracy with a strong economy, led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim, two Muslim political leaders who believed in the compatibility between Islam and democracy and were seeking to demonstrate this commitment with actual policies.”

He said this was an inspiration to Muslims across the world.

“Remember, this was before the fall of Indonesia’s Muhammad Suharto, before the rise of Mohammad Khatami in Iran, before the rise of the AK Party in Turkey and long before the Arab Spring.”

He said Muslims living in the West at the time were also confronted by powerful and influential voices that made it seem as though Islam and modernity were fundamentally incompatible.

“Around this time, Samuel Huntington published his infamous thesis on the Clash of Civilizations and the notorious Bernard Lewis was publishing books on Islam and Muslims that sought to portray them as threats to humanity.

“Malaysia at this time gave us hope.

“Sadly, after the split between Mahathir and Anwar, Malaysia took an authoritarian turn and the hope was lost.

“But after the bitter experience of Najib’s rule and the result of the recent election, many Muslims are again hopeful that Malaysia might be a source of inspiration for Islamic reform and democracy.”

He said it was important for Malaysians to remember that they should not leave politics to the politicians.

“Malaysian civil society has to hold all politicians, including Mahathir, accountable for their election promises.

“There are two Mahathirs: an authoritarian one and a democratic one. It is the responsibility of the press, intellectuals, political parties, student groups and Islamic reformers, among others, to ensure that he governs democratically and lives up to his promises.”

He said Mahathir could, with the right push, be the man to reignite the torch for Islam.

“I think Mahathir has the potential to advance the cause of Islamic reform, but he needs to be encouraged to do so.” -FMT