Free Quran? No thanks. What’s your motive?
Mahathir should know Islam’s image problem is not caused by non-Muslims
By Ravinder Singh, Free Malaysia Today
Non-Muslims should beware of the free distribution of a million copies of the translated Qurans to them as there has to be an “udang disebalik batu” (a hidden motive) which is secret.
Dr Mahathir, patron of the Islamic Information and Services Foundation which is going to distribute the translated Qurans, said that the “One Soul, One Quran” project was aimed at “lessening the misconception and alleviating fear of Islam amongst non-Muslims”.
He attributed non-Muslims’ fear of Islam to the fact that there were many interpretations and teachings on Islam these days that were not actually based on the religion.
As a doctor, he should know that treating the symptoms of a disease does not contain or even eradicate the disease. It is the root cause that must be found and treated.
He is clearly aware of the root cause of the non-Muslims’ fear of Islam – i.e. “there were many interpretations and teachings on Islam these days that were not actually based on the religion.”
So how will this be solved by distributing a million copies of the translated Quran to non-Muslims who are not the problem but victims of “the many interpretations and teachings on Islam”? Aren’t those Muslims who interpret the Quran to suit their whims and fancies that are the problem and that should be dealt with? Shouldn’t they be the ones to be given the correct version of the Quran, or taught its correct interpretation?
What then should be the correct formula to correct the non-Muslims’ fear of Islam?
Again, as a doctor he should know that seeing is believing. When non-Muslims (and good Muslims too) see Muslims like the ISIS beheading and burning people alive, what does he expect the non-Muslims to think of Islam and how do the good Muslims feel about their religion of peace being portrayed as a religion of violence?
Dr Mahathir, you can take the horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink. You can distribute a million copies of the translated Quran, but you can’t change the way non-Muslims see Islam as long as they see some bigoted Muslims say and do things that the Prophet would not approve of.
Dr. Mahathir, in case you can’t see it, a religion is judged not by the words of its holy books, but by the daily words and deeds of the adherents of the religion. Daily lives of the followers of any religion are the living advertisements of the good or bad of the religion. It is accepted that there may be a few bad apples here and there, but when the numbers of the bad apples are big, or the words and deeds of even a few rotten apples are so obnoxious and so loud, and nothing is being done by the leaders of the religion or of the country, then don’t blame others for having a negative outlook of that religion.
How the translated Qurans will be distributed is not known. Will they be given to non-Muslim employees in the government and private sectors? Will they be given to school children and students in other institutions of higher learning? Will they be given from house-to-house? Will they be given to those with tertiary education? Will they be given to any Tom, Dick and Harry? Will they be handed out to pedestrians in busy streets as newspapers are sometimes handed out? Will they be packed with BRIM payments? Will they be given to the vulnerable?
If the identities of the receivers of the translated Qurans are recorded in any form, they could end up having to account for the proper keeping of the holy books, even years later. Employees and students could one day find their exams, interviews, etc. having questions based on the Quran, as they have been given free copies for them to read, not store away or throw away.
What it adds up to is that the “One Soul, One Quran” project appears to be a very subtle, veiled, long term proselytisation project.
