Real Threats to Islam, 1Malaysia & the Making of Polarized Malaysia
Khoo Kay Peng
The NGO Muslim Organisation in Defence of Islam (Pembela) has blamed Christianity as one of the biggest contributing factor to their alleged decline of Islam in Malaysia.
“It is clear for all to see, of the aggressiveness and confrontational ways of Christians in bringing cases to court, their police reports all over the country and their press statements whether on the Allah or Al-Kitab issue.
“They all have something to do with their movement in spreading Christianity amongst the people,” said Pembela president Yusri Mohamad.
Adding that Christians are on a mission to convert Muslims in the country, he said that it all starts with “confusing” Muslims by using Islamic terms.
“It is their strategy to confuse Muslims by using terms and phrases which the Muslims commonly use,” he said.
I feel sorry for Pembela president Yusri Mohamad, whom I had met years ago when I was running a policy think tank, and his desperation to find some recognition and fame for his little known movement.
If Christians are behaving aggressively they would not have referred their grouses to the relevant authorities including the judiciary and the police. There are many examples of groups behaving aggressively in the name of protecting their god and religion by resorting to violent struggle and suicide killing.
Yusri and his movement illogical allegations and attacks against Christians are a far larger threat against 1Malaysia and the spirit of multiculturalism.
It is a fact that Yusri, as a Muslim intellectual, should admit and acknowledge. The use of a common term “Allah” is not enough to confuse the Muslims into believing that Christian and Islam are the same religion. There are many other relics, rituals and prayers which clearly set apart and differentiated both religions.
Yusri, as a responsible Muslim activist, should assist to help bridge the misunderstanding and help to restore confidence within the Muslim community that they should not be afraid of something which had been practiced and used in the Middle East where the term of “Allah” has been shared by both Christians and Muslims for centuries.
Did Yusri attempt to do anything of the above? No, but members of his movement went even further by saying that globalisation, liberalisation and pluralism are threats to Islam. If Muslims cannot accept globalisaton and pluralism, they might find themselves being disconnected from the global society.
Islam, as a great religion, is far more diverse than what Pembela members thought. Malays are not the only Muslims in the world. There are more Chinese Muslims that the whole Malaysian population.
Christianity, globalisation, pluralism and liberalisation do not find Islam being a threat. Real Islam does not find them as threats as well.
What is threatening us and Islam are people who are determined to create conflict between us such as the allegations of parties trying to supplant Islam by amending the federal constitution in order to appoint a Christian PM.
Yusri and Pembela members cannot be so stupid to be taken by such senseless and brainless allegations. Who can amend the federal constitution especially on the position of Islam as the official religion? Barisan Nasional parliamentarians would need to support the move assuming that all Pakatan MPs agree to the resolution. The latter is already a tall order!
Next, we need the Council of Malay Rulers to approve and pass the resolution. This is almost next to impossible.
