- The Fundamental Issue Regarding Islam in Malaysia -

This is a comment I extracted from another blog... I find his or her arguments very intriguing... read and let it enlighten you...

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The fundamental issue which explains Malay behaviour in all its glory and contradictions is the role of Islam which has been forced into their lives. The Malays are not a free people. Islam has been unhealthily and inextricably linked to Malay identity. When a system of belief is forced it breeds hypocrisy and division. The purpose was clear and part of the colonial strategy of keeping the races strictly apart. The State control of Islam and the constitutional provisions which give this legitimacy, makes Islam an ideal political tool to control the Malays.

Malays have had their religion defined for them without having to go through a process of self study, self examination and spiritual reflection. Malays do not pay for their Mosques, the Imams are financed by the State, the Khutbahs have to follow strict guidelines which are consonant with UMNOs political aims, there are Islamic bodies such as JAIS which regulate Muslim personal behaviour.

In short what is left of Islam is merely the rituals which Malays have brought to a fine art. Prayers are uttered in Arabic which they often do not understand and clearly this does not foster a meaningful relationship with your Maker. But then the powers that be want Islam to be ritualistic bereft of any intellectual reflection. Islam is what the powers that be, define it to be. They want to control the Malays and contradicting the State and its armamentarium of Islamic agencies is contradicting Allah they would have us believe.

When you have Muftis who tell lies like Hasurani of Perak, when you have an Islamic party like UMNO ( and the Hadi faction of PAS which wants to 'unite' with UMNO in the name of Islam) which claims to run an Islamic state but governs in a fascist, brutish manner, when all the institutions of governance which are Malay run , the Police, the Judiciary, the Malay media, the civil service which are morally rotten but ritualistically very 'Islamic', this really is indicative that 'Malay' Islam is without Allah.

The problem with the Malays as talked about by RPK in his article is that they are worshipping a religion without a God. Allah is present when there is Truth , Justice, Kindness, Trust, Equality, Freedom of Thought, Freedom of Worship and Forgiveness. It is only when Malay Islam recognises these values will they begin to discover Allah.

a new day - TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!

Assalammualaikum and greetings to all... here are a few extracts which should bring you up to speed with Islam that is practiced in Malaysia... I hope these extracts will enable the muslims' to realise why there's such a negative image regarding Islam, and to my non-muslim readers that Islam does not warrant the behavior of muslim's in Malaysia...

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Ulama more concerned about insignificant issues, says IKIM D-G

(Bernama) -- The ulama today are more concerned about addressing insignificant issues involving individuals rather than society, thus stifling the advancement of the Muslim world.

Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) director-general Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas said rather than focusing on fardhu kifayah (responsibility to society), the ulama confined their views on fardhu ain or the "dos and don'ts" of a Muslim.

"In the Muslim world, we talk about issues which have no significance whatsoever, like the dress code. What is Islamic attire, and we have all kinds of people telling us what we should wear. What we wear is not Islamic attire, according to them.”

"This is nonsense and not an issue which will benefit our society. It's up to you whether you want to wear like this or like that," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the International Conference on Muslims and the Frontier of Knowledge in the 21st Century: Issues, Prospects and Challenges, here, Tuesday.

"People who have been given the mantle of authority speak only on "remeh-temeh" (insignificant) stuff which is within the fardhu ain framework. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying fardu ain is not important. It is very important. Both fardhu ain and fardhu kifayah are important, but fardhu ain is more about the individual," he said.

The ulama, he said, had failed to discuss things that affected society such as education and Islamic economics and finance.

"After all, one cannot simply introduce Arabic terminologies such as mushawarah (consultation), musharaqah (partnerhip) and mubaralah into a capitalist system to make it Islamic.”

"Look at some of the banks here, they are all murabahah (about terms of finance/sale), with the exception of one and two, so how can you call it Islamic? You have Islamic syariah compliance apparently, yet credit card interest is 25 per cent per year. Is that not riba (usury)?".

He said the ulama's narrow-minded views had given birth to extremism in Muslim society.

"We are hypnotised by symbolism such as McDonalds, K-Mart, Disneyland, Internet...these are symbols, symbols of western technology...and we are saying this cannot, this is bad, so we must get the Islamic ones.”

"As a result, we have groups in society who after listening to the so-called ulama, have become extremists. These are the ones who are causing problems, these are the ones who are killing people, these are the terrorists. They are hypnotised by the symbols, they are fighting against the symbols, not against the substance," he said.

Syed Ali also felt that the country's political leaders were ignoring the real ulama, while the West tapped into their knowledge.

"For example, where is the Nobel prize winner for physics now? At the University of California. He's a Muslim from Egypt, but they (Egypt) don't care about him, so he goes there.”

"The West always depends on the Muslim world. So, if we want to advance, we have to listen to the real ulama."

However, he said, the ulama now were depending on political leaders before giving out advice.

"They shouldn't look to the political leaders, instead, the political leaders should look to the ulama...the real ulama. They (political leaders) should get advice from them, not the other way round," he added. – 28 July 2009

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ISA: Mengapa Majlis Fatwa tidak berani?

(Harakah) - Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan tidak berani mengeluarkan fatwa isu-isu berkaitan kezaliman yang sah bercanggah dengan nas al-Quran dan hadis seperti mana Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA).

Naib Presiden PAS, Dato' Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man berkata, Majlis Fatwa harus ada keberanian mengeluarkan fatwa dalam isu yang berkaitan kezaliman disamping memastikan fatwa itu dipatuhi.

Kata beliau, mereka sepatutnya memberi panduan kepada rakyat dalam urusan-urusan yang melibatkan hukum.

Malangnya, kata beliau banyak fatwa yang dikeluarkan Majlis Fatwa tidak ada tindakan yang diambil.

"Fatwa yang dikeluarkan oleh Majlis Fatwa tidak ada kekuatan sebagai contoh fatwa melarang memberi penghormatan di Tugu Negara, kalau pemimpin buat pun tidak ada tindakan apa-apa," katanya semasa dihubungi.

Tegasnya, Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan sepatutnya sudah ke hadapan dalam memberi panduan kepada pemimpin tetapi yang lebih penting daripada itu ialah pemimpin mesti ikut mereka supaya integriti Majlis Fatwa itu dapat dipelihara.

Tambahnya, kaedah Islam telah menentukan bahawa seseorang itu tidak dianggap bersalah perlu diberi peluang untuk membela diri dan didakwa di mahkamah.

"Jadi dalam sejarah ISA sudah beribu umat Islam ditahan tanpa bicara, rakyat yang diseksa, ini dikatakan zalim."

"Saya rasa rakyat bukan suka sangat hendak berhimpun dan turun demonstrasi di jalanan tetapi bila hampir tidak ada jalan lain, apa yang kita tidak buat? Kita sudah hantar memorandum, ambil tandatangan orang ramai, kita adakan seminar dan bantahan jadi kemuncak kepada kemarahan kita akan menyerahkan memorandum melalui himpunan aman," jelasnya.

Sehubungan itu, beliau yakin apa yang rakyat akan buat pada 1 Ogos nanti bukan satu suasana untuk mewujudkan kekecohan tetapi sekadar luahan rakyat yang berbilang agama dan kaum dalam isu-isu yang berlaku iaitu kezaliman ISA. – 28 July 2009

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Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan Kena Keluarkan Fatwa Isa

Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan perlu mengeluarkan fatwa mengenai ISA. Ini kerana isu ini telah berulang kali diminta oleh Umat Islam agar dilihat di sudut agama.

Namun fatwa itu hendaklah adil, bebas dari keterikatan dengan mana-mana pihak, dibahaskan secara saksama dengan kehadiran pakar perundangan, pihak berkuasa dan mangsa. Juga ahli-ahli politik yang bersetuju dan yang membantah perlu dijemput memberikan pandangan.

Penilaian adil perlu untuk panduan kerajaan. Malanglah jika isu-isu pinggiran dibincangkan sedangkan isu-isu besar yang membabitkan kepentingan umat ditinggalkan. Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan menggunakan wang awam, maka pastikan faedahnya balik kepada awam secara jelas. Mesyuarat yang biasanya berlangsung di hotel-hotel yang hebat itu perlu mengeluarkan pandangan-pandangan yang hebat untuk kemaslahatan umum.

Hari ini rakyat berbagai pendapat tentang ISA, berikan pandangan para mufti pula. Masakan mungkin mereka tidak peka, sedangkan semua rakyat berbicara. Saya secara peribadi semasa menjadi mufti telah mengeluarkan pandangan dalam Bulan Ramadhan lepas di Perlis, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur dan berbagai tempat. Media tempatan telah berulang kali menyiarkannya.

Kali ini kita menuntut pandangan rasmi agensi agama kerajaan pusat pula.

- Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, Lampeter, UK. -