Laughing stock Lah

Is Muslim Malaysia Melting Down?

By Khadija Abdul Qahaar
Jihad Unspun

Malaysia used to be a Muslim country but nowadays it claims that Islam is the official religion of a multi-religious society that begs the question of whether its current Prime Minster and his promotion of “Civilizational Islam” is causing a meltdown to this once strong Islamic country.

The majority of Malaysian Muslims just role their eyes when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi peddles his Islam Hadhari or "Civilizational Islam", which is a theory of government based on some principles of Islam but that places men, rather than Allah, as the authors of law. While its very convenient for the current adminstration that is steeped in controvery over allegations of corruption to boast this new kind of Islam, it is in fact a much more serious matter.

Not only is Malaysia becoming the laughing stock of the Muslim Ummah for allowing this obvious innovation to Islam to take root at the highest levels, but behind the scenes, there are more subtle examples of how the Malysian government is diluting Islam in preference of Western-style democracy.

Case and point is the 10th Tun Hussein Onn Renewal Awards (THORA) program that began on August 25, 2007. Jointly organized by the Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM) and the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) and, for some reason that only the government knows, sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF) of Germany, the six-day event attended by senior managers from both the public and private sectors was designed on the government’s aspirations as reflected in its so-called National Social Policy.

For those who are unaware, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German geo-political foundation associated with that country's Christian Democratic Union. It was founded in 1956 as the "Society for Christian Democratic Education Work" and renamed after the former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in 1964.

Part of the program was a multi-faith panel discussion that featured four speakers representing the main religions in Malaysia. While Islam is the leading religion, Christianity, Buddism and Hinduism are also practiced.

The panel speaker who was invited to represent Islam was Encik Khalid Jaafar, who is currently the Executive Director for the Institute for Policy Research, funded by the Malaysian government. Jaafar provided views on Islam that could only be considered offensive at the very least. He informed the participants that apostasy (Murtad) is permissible in Islam and justified his position by invalidating the Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) which specifically penalises apostasy. Furthermore, on the concept of Heaven and Hell in Islam, Jaafar propagated the view that Hell will eventually cease to exist as the Mercy of Allah is so overwhelming that Hell will freeze over on the Day of Reckoning!

The question is why would the organizers of this conference bring individuals in that misrepresent Islam when there are plenty of qualified Muslims from groups like Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) or Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) who are better versed to provide the official government position on matters concerning Islam?

One has to wonder if this is the same tactic that the British government has used in recent times by embracing the Sufi Council of Britain, a fringe sect of Islam, who are putty in the hands of British authorities and have no definitive position on Muslims in Britain. While Downing Street can point and say they have Muslim representation, the majority of British Muslims are Sunnis who are now completely marginalized.

Young Malaysia has a tremendous opportunity to set the example to the Muslim world but it won’t do it by throwing peanuts to special interest groups or weakening the religion of Islam through innovation or misrepresentation. Either Malaysia is a Muslim country or it is not and its time to get the matter before the highest levels of government. With elections due next year, this is a perfect time to embrace those who walk the straight path and present the whole picture of Islam, including Islamic law, and send the innovators packing.

The Malaysian government can not hold the obvious racial divisions at bay by reinventing Islam and it is Islam alone that will bring a just and fair government that all Malaysians deserve.