Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is reported by Utusan Malaysia to have said that Malaysia could see another bloody incident if no efforts were made to preserve inter-ethnic harmony. He also expressed “fears over the insults hurled towards the Malays and Muslims of late”, saying that as deputy prime minister, every night before he sleeps, he thinks about “how to manage the country”. To illustrate his “worries”, he said “someone sent me a text message (asking) what will happen to the Malays, why is Islam being insulted and other similar issues”. Expressing his “worries”, he said, These things are definitely happening and it is worrying. We must all return to the right path. Let religion as well as our culture and customs be our strength. Shocking” and “unbelievable” are but inadequate adjectives to describe the DPM’s threat that Malaysia could see another bloody incident if no efforts were made to preserve inter-ethnic harmony. Knowing full well that some racial and religious bigots have driven some wedges into the excellent inter-racial, inter-religious relations that have existed since pre-independence days, the DPM should be taking steps to douse the flames with whatever flame-retardants available, e.g., the Penal Code provisions on offences relating to religion, mischief, etc., and not pour fuel on the little flames here and there that could turn them into infernos, and if that should happen, turning around to declare “I told you so”, “I predicted it”! About the text message asking “why is Islam being insulted”, let me respectfully ask who is insulting Islam: • Prophet Muhammad did not forbid anyone from using the word “Allah”. He allowed people the freedom of worship. But here so much fuss has been created over this word as if it would be the end of the world if non-Muslims continue using this word. By going against the teaching of the Prophet, who insults Islam? • Islam, as I understand it, allows freedom of religion, i.e., there is no compulsion in Islam (do correct me if I am wrong). But what do we see here: once someone, by free will or otherwise, adopts Islam, or is converted into Islam, he loses freedom of religion. So who insults Islam? • Islam recognises that children below a certain age must be with their mothers. What do we see here: such children are separated from their mothers who do not convert to Islam in the footsteps of their husbands who in the first place convert to Islam not out of love for the religion but to spite their wives, to take revenge on the wives by torturing them by taking away the young children from them. So who insults Islam? • By taking into Islam, men who do not convert for the love of the religion, but to punish their wives by taking the children away from them, who insults Islam? • By barging into the Bible Society and carting away Bibles that were in the store room and not in the hands of Muslims in the process of proselytisation (proselytisation, not keeping the Bibles in the storeroom, is an offence under the Religious Enactment): who is insulting Islam? • By gate-crashing a Hindu wedding and arresting the bride on suspicion she was a Muslim, who is insulting Islam under which there is no compulsion? • By snatching a corpse from a Chinese funeral house, when Islam provides that there is no compulsion in religion, who is insulting Islam? • By throwing a cow head at the house gate of a Hindu, is Islam not insulted by the doer of that act? • By the likes of a Muslim professor and some Muslim NGO leaders disparaging non-Muslims, who is insulting Islam? • By making non-Muslim school children eat in the changing room during Ramadan, who is insulting Islam? • By shouting to cut-off the heads of non-Muslims who question the use of the word “Allah”, who is insulting Islam? The Prophet did not prohibit anyone using this word, so why should this be a life-and-death issue in Malaysia? • Etc. There certainly is a lot for the DPM to ponder on each night before he goes to sleep. He must be honest with himself: Would the Prophet approve of all the things being said and done in Malaysia in the name of Islam that affect the non-Muslims adversely? Non-Muslims too have feelings and sensitivities. The DPM is right to say that “we must all return to the right path. Let religion as well as our culture and customs be our strength. Question is, who needs most to return to the path of the religion (Islam) as taught by the Prophet? As DPM, he has the power to see to it that people return to the Islam that was taught by the Prophet and not butcher the religion for their personal objectives. What is he doing in this direction? Non-Muslims have always respected Islam, and they still do. But with things such as those listed above affecting them, they are today confused as to what is the real Islam, as the Islam they experienced in the good old days was different. The DPM should, for instance, state unequivocally whether Islam condones the act of throwing a cow’s head in front of a Hindu’s gate; whether Islam condones an NGO leader declaring that the non-Muslims are intruders in Malaysia; whether Islam permits the snatching of brides and corpses; whether Mais’s and Jais’s actions are fully in compliance with the teachings of the Prophet, etc. – July 6, 2014. * Ravinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insider.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 03:44:07 +0000
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