Incompetence or sinister agenda over new Islamic material for schools?

 

The latest instance of ruffled feathers in national politics is about the supposed implementation of new materials into the school curriculum. Said material is very Islamic in nature, supposedly a book about some of the sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad.

Apparently it wasn’t explained properly that the material was meant only for Muslim students. That fact and explanation came out after the proverbial “stuff” had hit the proverbial fan.

Well and good then. It’s the ministry’s job to decide what curriculum materials are planned and implemented, all the while honouring our multiracial and multireligious society.

You might ask whether the ministry is so incompetent as to muddle up the communication of this matter – why can’t it be explained properly in the first place so that even the Gerakan president himself won’t be confused?

I won’t answer my own question, as in the field of education you set the questions and somebody else is supposed to answer it! Otherwise, people will soon start spreading rumours about how AI – in this case me – is creating havoc in our education system.

Other possibilities

Of course, settling on the incompetence of ministers and politicians is too easy – as easy as shooting at fish in a barrel: you can’t miss. But I shouldn’t just blindly choose that without examining other possibilities.

What if that was actually the plan in the first place? Meaning, to surreptitiously insert yet another material of Islamic content into the regular school system, which is becoming more and more like an Islamic religious school system by the day?

What if suddenly the deed is done, the material has officially become part of the syllabus, and it’s all over bar the shouting? That anybody who questions it now becomes somebody who is questioning Islam itself?

This has happened before, and no doubt will happen again.

Earning credit, or ‘pahala’

What needs to be remembered is that, to many of our Muslim brothers and sisters and colleagues and fellow citizens, especially those in positions of power, Islam is not about duty to God through showing love and compassion to fellow humans.

To them, Islam is about earning credit, or pahala, through ticking the boxes on a form – done this (check), done that (check), done this again and again and again (check check check…).

It’s about rituals and about “winning”. To many, the best way to gain credit in the eyes of God is not through living the good, pious, humble life and fulfilling your duty, or amanah, to fellow humans, whether Muslim or not. That’s just too darn difficult and inconvenient.

The best way is rather to use your earthly powers, especially ones that come to you without a cost – such as political or bureaucratic powers – even if you have to break your vows (made in His name!), to further your own personal goal to earn pahala.

So, you keep pushing your agenda again and again, with each person being super dedicated to this endeavour, happily believing that God will be happy when His wishes are accomplished through your own tiny efforts.

No compulsion in religion

Nobody seems to care that God has said there shall be no compulsion in religion – something so clear such that any effort to explain it away becomes comical if not downright wrong.

Nobody seems to care that this makes God look like a needy, desperate Being who’d take anything that comes His way. The same God for whom we recite “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” multiple times daily.

Nobody seems to care that Islam is more than just rituals, but is about fully living the life of submission to God and living your allotted lifespans in ways that make others love and respect and want to come closer to Him.

If a Muslim – in Malaysia many equate and conflate that with being a Malay – lives his or her life in ways that, while ticking off all the boxes about rituals – push people further away from God, would that work out well for them in the hereafter when they’re judged?

Turning non-Muslims away

Would your quest to earn pahala, if done the easy way through political and bureaucratic powers and duplicity, and not through sacrifices and submission to Him, be enough to make you a good Muslim in His eyes?

Would he be impressed that, precisely because of your little “victories”, even more and more of the non-Muslims are moving even further away from seeing His ways?

Would he countenance the many Muslims around us behaving as if they have a direct connection to God, and also have His express approval (if you don’t vote for “His” party, you go to the bad place when you die) for their actions?

I think not. Islam isn’t a faith and belief that’s so complex and convoluted only the learned can understand it. Especially when so many of these so-called “learned” people exhibit nothing but petty and ritualistic devotion to Islam that barely conceals their own selfish worldly ambitions.

Two sides of the coin

Between these two choices – that the matter was incompetently handled and hence blown out of proportion, or that it’s part of the ongoing agenda that supposedly is a duty of every Muslim as defined by…themselves! – I’m willing to go for incompetence.

It’s the low risk-high probability answer, given our experience with the world around us, especially lately. Most of the time you can’t lose going with that option.

But seeing as how we Muslims have drifted from wanting to be the reason why non-Muslims feel kindly and open up their hearts towards Islam and into one of ruthlessly exercising political and racial power plays instead, I’d certainly say you can’t rule out the other possibility. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT