PUTRAJAYA― Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa reminded Muslims today that Islam admonishes any form of discrimination, amid growing conservative anger over Putrajaya’s proposal to ratify an international convention against racial bias.
Speaking at the official celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday here, the Islamic affairs minister reminded the faith’s followers that Islam is a religion that promotes universal values of justice and goodness, more so towards non-Muslims.
The universality of Islam’s notion of justice, he added, was reflected in Prophet Muhammad’s life.
“Islam prohibits any form of discrimination based on faith, descent or differences,” Mujahid said.
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The minister’s speech came amid simmering tension between conservative ethnic Malays and minorities over state efforts to recognise the International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
The treaty’s detractors, mostly nativists aligned to the former ruling party Umno and Islamists PAS, claim ICERD is a backdoor for non-Muslims to abolish Malay political and economic privilege.
Government leaders, including Mujahid, have denied this and said the ICERD issue has been intentionally distorted by political rivals to stoke racial strife.
In his speech today, Mujahid defended inclusive policies as in line with “maqasid syariah”, the universal objective of Islamic teachings that takes into consideration context and social pluralism.
“The administration of a state must be based on the Quran and sunnah without abandoning key rules like the maqasid syariah,” he said.
“In a multiracial context, governance must be based on the maqasid syariah in that justice must be for all without exclusion.
“Everyone will prosper under this system. That is what we call rahmatan lil alamin,” he added.
MALAY MAIL
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