Anwar the Renaissance man?

 

From Zaid Ibrahim

Adzhar Ibrahim is a good writer. He writes regularly for FMT. You have to be that good to write for FMT.

Adzhar asks if there is a middle ground for Islam in Malaysia.

The answer is a qualified no. Islam, the religion, has morphed into politics for the Malays.

Politics is about power, and political Islam has been cultivated since 1980 with gusto. You could say that the climax of political Islam’s ascension to power was when Anwar Ibrahim took office.

It took Christianity 500 years of internecine warfare between the Papal power (Catholics) and the rest of the Christian faith for them to make peace with one another.

Then, they decided to have a new beginning with the birth of the Renaissance. They decided to keep faith in the individuals to determine their beliefs and limit the power of the state to regulate beliefs.

It will take the rivalry between groups of Muslims seeking political power in the country that much time before they make peace.

But the question is whether the country can wait that long before it slowly disintegrates as a poor, mediocre country, surpassed by all our neighbours.

The question is whether other Malaysians will wait that long before they migrate to more advanced countries where their skills and talents are required.

The middle ground will only happen by the implosion of the power of the clerics. But that’s not happening. There is no middle ground between those who believe they are righteous or learned. There is no discourse possible among them.

Today, in Malaysia, there is no letting up from the competing sides to enlarge their armies of followers, religious department officials, NGOs, academics, etc. Our schools and universities have a large following of Islamist groups.

The “moderates” can hope for the emergence of the middle ground, but there is no visible sign of that happening.

Is Anwar a Muslim moderate? Can he lay the middle ground? Yes, he is if his speeches are any indication. However, the challenge from Malay groups, with PAS leading the way, is difficult to overcome.

Anwar has to reform – not by speeches, but by actions – the whole education system. He must use the power of the mind to defeat extremism. Only reason and logic can create enough push for a renaissance awakening.

If Anwar resorts to more of the same approach that PAS clerics’ interpretations of Islam are wrong (jumud), then the rivalry will continue for the next 500 years.

If Anwar is genuinely a “Renaissance man”, then he must free the people to read books to encourage science and mathematics. He must not censor anything he disapproves of.

He must not hide behind Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act or the Sedition Act. He must be willing to use RTM to organise debates on the most contentious issues.

Is he trusting enough to let Malaysians free? That’s the key to the middle ground. - FMT

Zaid Ibrahim is a former federal minister and an FMT reader.

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