Liberals disguised as moderates
The confused public is in dire need of guidance from those with knowledge and understanding of Islam
Yusri Jamaluddin, Free Malaysia Today
The clash between liberal and Islamist ideologies is imminent in Malaysia. The liberals, who call themselves moderates, are on a sudden attacking spree, each amplifying the voice of the other. Their voices seem loud, but they are low in number and they constantly manipulate public perception through duplication of organizations with the same inherent agenda and political interests.
After losing in parliamentary elections, they seek to “reclaim the nation” with a barrage of campaigns under the umbrella of “civil” society institutions. In reality, their numbers are nothing compared to the silent majority. Unfortunately, the problem with the majority is that they are living in a cave of wealth and comfort, refusing to speak up to tell the world that our country is just fine without secular and liberal ideologies.
The Malaysian public is now in a confused state. Whom should the people trust – the “moderates”, who keep painting a gruesome and bloody picture of a Malaysia ruled by militant extremists, or the Islamists, who constantly remind the nation to stay true to its identity in order to maintain peace and stability while issuing stern warnings to those who fail to do so?
ISMA has long warned of the existence of a group of people trying to secularize Malaysia. At the same time, ISMA calls for Malaysians to stay away from extremist militant groups. Many have failed to heed the warnings against secularism. Perhaps they want to wait until the day comes when they lose the religious identity that Malaysia has inherited.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that Malaysia is not a secular state and should never be treated as one. It is a myth that a secular state will ever recognize a religion to be the religion of the federation. After all, the principle concept of a secular state is that it separates religion from the affairs of the state. The fact that the constitution mentions liberty does not make it liberal either.
National identity
In light of recent events, we must ask ourselves a simple question: should a country mold itself to suit the different desires and inclinations of minority individuals, or should the people adapt to the national identity of this country, which stands on the principles that Islam is the religion of the Federation, Bahasa Melayu is the national language, the rights and privileges of the Malays and Bumiputeras are to be protected, the position of the monarchs is to be protected and the citizenship of other races is to be protected according to the social contract?
On that note, it is important that we understand that in a diverse country like Malaysia, compromises need to be taken. It is impossible to satisfy the different inclinations of the people without any compromises. While the constitution allows the profession of other religions, it protects the position of Islam as the religion of the federation, drawing a red line that can only be crossed by those who wish to challenge this supreme law of the land. One cannot expect to maintain peace and harmony if some groups deliberately go beyond the red line.
Moderates really need to define who they really are and who they claim to be. Their extensive and well-funded media campaign to promote moderation is nothing but a confusing propaganda to promote their own liberal agendas.
One might ask an interesting question: what is the difference between a moderate and a liberal? Truly, if we look at self-proclaimed moderates, they are nothing but a liberalized group of Muslims, taking some parts of Islam while rejecting others that do not suit their liberal tendencies. They fail to understand that Islam is a holistic system and is not limited to prayers and Friday sermons.
As liberal forces take centre stage on online news sites, Muslim intellectuals are busy with their theses and research papers, the silent majority are happily enjoying the comforts of their middle class lives, and some of the so called Islamist NGOs are busy with dialogues that end with no solid conclusion and action other than to “agree to disagree”.
