Yoursay: Defending Islam does not mean denigrating other religions

YOURSAY | ‘Perlis mufti Asri, there’s none so deaf as those who will not hear.’

'Who's the deaf one?' - Perlis mufti tells Dr M to listen to Muslims' fears

Constitutional Supremacy: Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s statement about Islam being undermined is unfair, as he provided no examples of Muslims not feeling “safe.”

From day one, the Pakatan Harapan government has defended Islam and the Malay rulers. It has repeatedly stated that it will abide by the Federal Constitution and the rule of law.

Obviously, Asri is against this. He, like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, does not seem to want Islam to be subject to the constitution.

FairMalaysian: In a multi-religious society, there are bound to be frictions now and then. This has to be curtailed, and I believe the police are doing a good job in monitoring and taking action where necessary.

If my memory holds, there were a few who were charged with insulting Islam, and to the government's credit, it has set up a unit to monitor such incidents.

If the good mufti feels that action has not been taken against anyone who had insulted Islam, he can always go to the police. Being in an enviable position, surely he would have no problem in getting the matter across if indeed there has been any travesty.

What saddens me is that Asri and the other muftis should have come with guns blazing, figuratively speaking, when news came out on how Lembaga Tabung Haji had been financially scandalised under BN rule. Not a word from PAS and Umno either. The usually quicksilver Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki was surprisingly silent.

It is the Harapan government that has been managing Tabung Haji transparently and really sorting out the problems related to the fund. Show some appreciation, Asri.

That's why Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his ministers feel frustrated and upset. When the custodians of trust of a prime institution like Tabung Haji are putting their outstretched hands in the cookie jar, don’t Muslim leaders like Asri and Hadi have a duty to speak out?

The non-Muslims, more than anything, appreciate the position of Islam as the religion of the federation as enshrined in the constitution. No right-thinking non-Muslim will ever want to transgress into an area which does not concern them, fully realising what the consequences will be if they do.

There may be some loose cannons around, and I believe the police have been doing their job to take them to task. Non-Muslims must be insane to even think of talking about something they well know will invite serious repercussions.

Of course, defending one’s own faith is one’s own business and right, but someone who talks ill of a religion he has left behind, like independent preacher Muhammad Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu, can't just hide behind the fact that he is merely comparing the two.

If Asri is defending such a position, then he has to grow up. Indeed, he has to take lessons from Muslim leaders like Mahathir and Mohamad Sabu. And that is why they are leaders of Malaysia and he is not.

Managing a multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia is a great challenge. And Mahathir has a point when he says that the mufti is "deaf" as he seems to listen and believe only what he wants to.

I do scratch my head when there are those going around saying Islam and Muslims are under threat. The prime minister, his deputy and most ministers are Muslims. It is more puzzling when such statements come from those who talk about threats to ‘bangsa, agama dan negara’ (race, religion and country).

This is a good country. Non-Muslims retain their names, have a vernacular education, and freedom of religion. The respect towards Muslims in public spaces by non-Muslims is always there.

So, why go and rock the boat when the leaders are facing a lot of problems in giving the rakyat a good life? This government, unlike the previous one, doesn't steal money from the people and has zero tolerance towards corruption.

Look at Mahathir, at his age, he is working his heart out. He is not buying expensive planes and hundreds of expensive handbags for his wife.

If anyone tells me that there is someone who has done more than Mahathir for the Malays, he or she must be crazy. He had even earned labels like ‘Malay supremacist’, ‘Malay ultra’, etc, in the past, but today, even non-Muslims acknowledge his work in building a cohesive multi-religious, multiracial Malaysia.

If any Malay believes that leaders who had no qualms or shame whatsoever from having long hands and pocketed deals through corruption are better than those who have no tolerance for the crime, then there can be no real progress expected or achieved.

This country is on a fine path, having chosen leaders who want the country to reach great heights. There is no hiding who will benefit most from this journey – it will be the Malays.

Whether they want this good thing to happen will entirely depend on whether they want to listen to a leader who says it is alright to be corrupt, or those who know to whom the wealth of this country belongs – the rakyat.

Gerard Lourdesamy: Defending Islam does not mean denigrating other religions. Contrary to Asri’s unfounded allegations, those accused of insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad have been arrested and charged in court, and in one instance, even jailed for 10 years. Others are out on bail pending trial.

The problem with people like Asri is that the whole world must accommodate their worldview as the only truth. The biggest threat to global peace, tolerance, acceptance and security at present is religious fundamentalism – not just from Muslims, but also Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.

It is time that religion be put in its proper place, namely a private relationship between the believer and his creator.

Kangkung: Asri, who gives Kalimuthu the right to criticise other religions? It is great that he found Islam as his true religion, but that does not give him the right to run down other people's beliefs. Who gives him the right to say Hinduism is illogical?

Asri, we live in a multi-racial and multi-religious country so let’s do our bit to make sure we respect one another's beliefs. Don't incite people with the threat of ‘Muslim fears’.

As a religious leader, shouldn't you be the one to defuse any tension and be the person who works towards a better Malaysia despite our differences?

If we continue to argue and debate over who is right and who is wrong when it comes to our religious beliefs, then we are heading for a really dangerous path.

Shahzamani: This is fear mongering. Exactly what is it that Muslims in Malaysia are fearful of?

The Muslims control all levers of power, all key economic institutions, and all academic institutions. If Muslims are fearful given all the powers they have, then Malaysians of other faiths must have been living in absolute terror.

Since I know for a certainty that Muslims are not living in fear because Malaysians of other faiths are not living in terror – challenges yes, definitely not terror – I can only conclude that Asri is propagating fake fear to discredit Mahathir.

Roslan Jamil: I am a Muslim, I don't fear anyone except Allah.

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