Would Muslims like putting themselves in non-Muslim shoes?

 

“We (Muslims) can’t expect the others (non-Muslims) to respect us. We must respect them too and put ourselves in their shoes sometimes.”

- Former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Ismail Sabri Yaakob believes that sometimes Muslims need to put themselves in their brethren’s shoes to learn how the other side feels when it comes to religion in this country.

I honestly believe that Muslims will not be able to take it. Imagine if the roles were reversed. Imagine if non-Muslims controlled the religious and racial political terrain in this country and made policies that reflect this. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Imagine if Muslims were not allowed not to attend certain public-funded institutions because of their race and religion (since race and religion are not mutually exclusive in this country) or if there was a quota system for Muslim students for universities. Do you think that Muslims would respect non-Muslims?

Imagine that because of unilateral conversion, children were forcibly converted to Islam (sometimes even kidnapped) and the state security apparatus would not do anything about it, while the religious bureaucracy enabled the perpetrators. Would Muslims respect non-Muslims?

Imagine if the religion of the state enabled labels that would demonise Muslims and their religion. Take the term “kafir” for instance. What if the designation of Muslims as kafir was accepted? Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Imagine if a Muslim trader made the honest mistake of selling items with non-Muslim religious symbols and provocateurs from the non-Muslim community decided to boycott Muslim businesses - all of this sanctioned by the state, political establishment and religious establishment.

Your businesses became the targets of “terrorist attacks” and you were charged in court, and made to apologise numerous times to the non-Muslim community. Would Muslims respect non-Muslims?

Are non-Muslim religions less legitimate?

Imagine if you were banned from using certain words because the primacy of non-Muslim religions demanded that Muslims could not utter such words.

Imagine if non-Muslims were prohibited from attending and participating in the religious rituals of other faiths because it would cause them to deviate from their religion. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Imagine if Muslims were called immoral for what they wore, or worse, compelled to dress a certain way because the non-Muslim minions from the state called for it. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Former Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman

Or how about if you were told to convert because it would make things easier? Remember what the Pahang mufti said after his kafir harbi statements all those years ago - “We are not forcing but I urge non-Muslims to convert to Islam to be safe in the afterlife and for unity in Malaysia. There will be no more chaos and we can focus on development.”

Imagine if the religion of the state was a non-Muslim religion and a preacher said the same thing the Pahang mufti did. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Imagine if non-Muslims mocked your religion and the authorities would not do anything about it. For instance, if reporters went undercover in your religious ceremony and disrespected your religion in the most public manner.

Remember what the then attorney-general said when undercover reporters went to a church and then spat out the holy sacrament? He said: “The actions of the two reporters may have hurt the feelings of the people but I was satisfied that they did not intend to offend anyone. It was an act of sheer ignorance.

“Therefore, given the circumstances at that particular time and in the interest of justice, peace and harmony, I decided not to press any charges against them.”

If the shoe was on the other foot, would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Freedom of worship being chipped away

What if you were constantly told not to interfere in the affairs of non-Muslims even though these issues affect us as fellow Malaysians? Think about it. The Federal Constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of worship but the reality is those freedoms have been chipped away for decades.

While on the surface we have those rights, slowly but surely, the supremacy of the non-Muslim religion of the state - not as some sort of state religion but as a means of control - sublimated the intent of the Constitution. Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

Imagine if the gerrymandering and disproportionate weightage of votes meant that as a Muslim you were disenfranchised from the political system.

Imagine if your vote was diluted because of the machinations of the state and what you were left with were political operatives and a government that did not accurately reflect the will of the people? Would Muslims still respect non-Muslims?

This is not about respecting each other. It is really about control and power. This is what is happening in Malaysia.

Muslims in Singapore are thriving so we do have an inkling of what it would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. - Mkini

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.