Reza Aslan and the Malaysian left
In a message to the American scholar, the writer says his views are not based on knowledge of the Malaysian situation.
Lukman Sheriff Alias, Free Malaysia Today
Dear Reza Aslan,
I refer to an article that The Malaysian Insider (TMI) published last December 24 – “Rise of extremist groups shows moderation progressing, says Reza Aslan” – which was based on a telephone interview with you.
It is unfortunate for a person of your reputation to be drawn into this issue. Your comments appear ignorant and selective of the facts surrounding the issues. They seem to be based on a misconception or prejudice of Muslims in Malaysia and the Islam they practise. Your observation is myopic, misguided and misconceived, probably due to either scant knowledge of Malaysia or a non-objective and biased reading of facts.
The crux of the issue is your failure to recognize our constitutional compromise. When we attained our independence, our forefathers of different races and religions agreed to build this great nation of ours based on a set of compromises. It has never been built on absolute idealism like in the US or India. Thus ours is an eclectic constitution. It’s neither secular in the ordinary meaning of the word nor Islamic as in the Iranian mould.
The key to our compromise is the role of Islam and the constitution’s deference to it. It is the official religion of the federation. This compromise makes possible the creation of religious courts and other religious authorities and permits legislation over Muslims. Our monarchs became constitutional heads of state and religion.
This model of Islamic governance is expressly enshrined in our constitution, which all Malaysians have sworn to uphold. And it is through this model, whether you disagree with it or not, that we have practised our kind of Islam, which is regarded as one of the most moderate in the world.
Through this model, we have shown tolerance and the ability to push Islam to a higher plateau than ever before. An example is our Islamic banking development, which I’m involved in. We have developed this banking system in a pragmatic way, using the usul fiqh methodology. We have created various instruments to suit the needs of society and we are always developing and improving the system. We are now known as a progressive leader worldwide in this area. Please read the Islamic treatises and discourses in this area.
The point is that all of these grew within the same Islamic governance model. Many eminent scholars and jurists have been involved in this effort, and they include the late Prof Tan Sri Ahmad Ibrahim and Datuk Dr Daud Bakar. This is an important point to recognize. Our practice of Islam has been regarded by many as pragmatic, moderate or, to some in the Middle East, even liberal.
What is now happening in our country is that the left, who include those you call “liberal”, are challenging this constitutional compromise. The left or liberals include organizations like the Islamic Renaissance Front and Sisters in Islam, which are funded by the US National Endowment Fund (NED). These organizations have been at the forefront in the continuous attack on our Islamic governance model.
