MELBOURNE, Dec 6 — Muslims must tackle injustices and corruption in their own countries before they can point a finger at the West, Australia’s The Age newspaper quoted opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as saying yesterday. ”How Islam treats minorities is excessive, no question — Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews. We cannot condone injustice. We must condemn atrocities against minorities in Muslim societies and against Muslims in Christian societies,” he told the Parliament of the World Religions. He has repeatedly said this in many international conferences leading to the Foreign Policy magazine naming him one of the most influential thinkers in the world. In Malaysia, however, he faces a second sodomy charge a decade after being convicted for the first.
Anwar said Muslim countries faced huge Islamophobia, including an unequal American approach to Israel and Palestine and concerns about nuclear non-proliferation with some countries but not others (a reference to Israel). But he told the key session on Islam and politics: ”You can’t talk all the time about the injustice of the West if you have injustice in your own land, such as Christians and Hindus in Muslim countries. ”Muslims were upset about the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib [in Iraq], but what about conditions in Muslim prisons. If you refuse to talk about that you have no standing to talk about the first.” The parliamentary opposition leader said there was no reason why Islamic parties should not contest elections. ”There is suspicion that Islamic political parties will use democracy as a vehicle and, when they come to power, marginalise other groups and cancel elections.
There will be a 100 per cent vote, one time.” But there were Christian Democrat parties, Hindu parties and Buddhist parties, while Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey had clear constitutional guidelines. ”So why must Muslims have a secular fundamentalist position? What is important is to ensure that Islamic parties are not factional or unjust when in power.” Abdullah Saeed, professor of Islamic Studies at Melbourne University, said the question of Islam and politics had been one of the most hotly debated topics for Muslims since the middle of the 19th century. ”At one end of the continuum is the view that it’s absolutely essential for Muslims to establish an Islamic state, that Islam is a religion and a state, though Muslims have never experienced this ideal. ”At the other extreme, Islam is simply an ethical and moral system, a relationship between the person and God, with no need for politics.” Saeed said critics pointed out that an Islamic state was not a traditional idea but a 20th-century construct, while Muslim governments tended to oppress women and non-Muslims, were autocratic and did not respect rights.
Tariq Ramadan, one of Europe’s leading Muslim spokesmen, said democracy and Islam were fully compatible, but many Muslims misunderstood secularism as meaning no religion. Secularism in Muslim-majority countries did not mean democracy, but the opposite: dictators. ”It’s a question of authority. When it comes to the private sphere, the authority God has over you is private. When it comes to the public sphere, it should be negotiated among the public.” Ramadan said the idea of collective negotiated authority went back to the Prophet Muhammad, who more than once followed the majority against his own opinion. Iranian delegate Mahdi Mostafavi said governments should fulfil the main purpose of man’s creation and ensure society was obedient to God. He said Muslims should not be subservient to any power that went against the will of God, who gave governments their legitimacy. ”The government should strive for material prosperity but also for man’s exaltation in his humanity. Unfortunately this is neglected by most governments. Within the framework of God’s laws, people should be free.” Questioned by a leading Melbourne Muslim, Rachel Woodlock, about the treatment of Baha’is in Iran, Mostafavi simply denied that any minorities in Iran faced ill-treatment. Woodlock replied: ”You have no credibility at all.’
In Malaysia we can see that Umno Muslim Govn tend to oppress women and non-muslims in a way. One typical example is when a non-muslim falled in love with a muslims girl he must convert to muslims in order to get married.
Many muslims countries including the biggest muslims country like Indonesia does not practised that. One believed and faith should be in the Heart and not by way of forcing.
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Manc Z Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 12:51 am
the practice of marriage between a Muslim and non-Muslim is allowed based on some of the interpretations of Islamic law. however in Malaysia, this situation is not allowed to circumnavigate around any unwanted claims from both parties when issues such as divorce and the faith of the couples children arise.
there is no compulsion in Islam. that is true. however, for non-Muslims who wish to marry Muslims they must look deep in their hearts of what faith they follow and how they can accommodate for having a Muslim partner.
for a lot of Muslims, as age and maturity increase (and undoubtedly our mortality become more apparent), they tend to move closer towards Islam. how would a non-Muslim husband react to a Muslim wife if she suddenly started wearing a headscarf in her later years? how would a non-Muslim wife react to her Muslim husband if the husband started going to the mosque more and insisting she start wearing more decent clothes?
your views may be driven by the love between two human beings without the influence of what their beliefs teach them. however, the passionate youth will be taken aback when the realities of our mortality and how our beliefs influence our aging process and ultimately, death, will affect that feeling of love. by then, pleasing your life-partner will take a back seat to pleasing our interpretations of our Creator and that is influenced by the faith that we believe in.
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Joe Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
why not muslims look into themselves and convert to other religions? Don’t force unto others what you don’t want others do unto you. Period.
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In malaysia the I Malaysia concept is only a empty slogan as far as i am concerned.We have 2 legal system in this country after the ammendment 121(1A).The syariah law is only partly applied to protect especially the malays from leaving their religion to marry the non muslims.Anyway what is wrong with christianity,buddishm,hinduishm.Are they not great religion of the world.If UMNO is sincere why not implement full syariah law like Saudi Arabia.(like theft where hands are amputated)IS IT A BIGGER SIN TO MARRY A DEVOUT AND A GOOD BUDDISHT(BY CONVERTING TO BUDDISHM) THAN A MUSLIM THIEVE.
i believe if there are also muslims who become hindu,christian or buddisht the non muslims might not be that inclined to sent their children to vernacular schools like what is happening currently.The fear of they be 100% assismalated into the malay community will not arise.WILL THIS COUNTRY CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?
Today we see many Malays are migrating from malaysia.Among the reasons are one spouse refuse to convert to islam to marry according to malaysian law.Well they can make their own choise(religion) besides enjoying more economy benefits in other countries.After all the talks of islamphobia in western countries the christian majority does not require a muslim person to convert to christniaty to marry a local person.The couple is free to practise their own faith.
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I am not moslem but in spore,turkey,even in our largest moslem country indonesia,non moslem can visit mosque.As antic beauty of mosque,to know about islam.I don,t understand why in Malaysia non moslem can,t go inside mosque,what differ between moslem in turkey,indonesia and here
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Hi DSAI!
An excellent write up you have put in your blog! This is to say the least! This is the very same man (DSAI) who Malaysia, oops!, UMNO is going to put through Sodomy 2 in the coming months….what a joke!!!!! From the PM downwards, every institution in this country, has been “sodomised” to take Malaysia for another round of circus entertainment and be made the laughing stock of the world….and for all these, we have to thank our great Tun to have set the launching pad!!!!!!!!!!!!! And believe me, this “old fart” will not just fade away into oblivion….the best medicine for him from the Rakyat is to SIMPLY IGNORE HIM!!!!!! PUNISHMENT AWAITS HIM FROM THE ALMIGHTY, make no mistake about this!!!!!!!!!!!!
Das
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