UUM academic defends Malaysian Islam

PETALING JAYA: An academic at Universiti Utara Malaysia has defended what he calls the “Malaysian practice of Islam” against a criticism by constitutional law expert Shad Saleem Faruqi.

Mohamad Faisol Keling, an associate professor in the university’s College of Law, Government and International Studies, said Shad was being unduly emotional when he spoke of the rise of the religious establishment and accused it of trying to take the Malays away from their tradition of tolerance and compassion in the practice of Islam.

He said the remarks Shad made at a recent roundtable discussion in Kuala Lumpur showed that he had been “influenced by the interests of certain stakeholders who are trying to undermine the governance and the integrity of Islam in the country’s administration”.

Faisol also took issue with Shad’s remark about a growing tendency in Malaysia to adopt Arab ways of Islamic practice and to copy Arab manners.

“On the contrary,” he said, “the way the country and Islam are being administered has become an example to the Arabs.

“This was proven when the Arabs made Malaysia their key reference point as a diplomatic hub with regard to global Muslim-related issues.”

Faisol praised the Malaysian system for having “created an environment for Muslims and non-Muslims to practice their religions and live in harmony”.

He said Malaysia had “clearly managed to avoid the religious conflicts seen in several countries, including the Arab countries”.

The Malaysian Islamic Strategic Research Institute (Iksim) recently lodged a police report against Shad over views he expressed in his column in The Star.

Police are investigating him under the Penal Code for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

Shad’s article crticised an Iksim booklet that said “secularism, liberalism and cultural diversity are elements that will undermine the Islamic agenda and destroy the country’s sovereignty”. -FMT