by Farah Fahmy
The Malaysian Insider
December 23, 2010

DEC 23— Just when you think public pronouncements can’t possibly get any worse in Malaysia, along comes the recommendation that Jakim should provide some sort of definition of our various festivals and celebrations so that Muslims can steer clear of the virus of religious pluralism.

Intrigued, I tried to work out what “fahaman pluralisme” is, and as far as I can tell, this belief stems from the idea that Islam is no more and no less equal to other religions.

Obviously this is nonsense as far as our country is concerned. After all, Islam is the official religion and to help us Muslims behave in exemplary fashion there is a plethora of religious bodies funded by the government which is not the case for any other religion.

So dangerous is “fahaman pluralisme” that the Mufti of Perak was reported in Utusan Malaysia as saying that it needs to be rejected by all Muslims in our country as it could destroy one’s faith, and that those who believed in it are as good as being apostate.

Phew. I’m glad he clarified that. You see, as a Muslim I do sincerely believe that Islam is the complete and best religion. But equally I’m happy to accept that a Catholic or Jew would believe the same thing about their religion and it really doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong. Does this mean I’m flirting with pluralisme, and therefore courting kafir-hood?

However, as the injunction against “fahaman pluralisme” only applies to Muslims in Malaysia then I guess I don’t have to worry! (Thank god we Malaysian Muslims have ulamas like Dr Juanda Jaya and Dr Mohd Asri to provide an alternative view.)

But let’s go back to the Jakim recommendation. How extraordinary! Do we really want Jakim, an Islamic body, to explain to Muslims the significance of Deepavali? Would Jakim be equipped to explain why Christians celebrate Easter?

When I was younger we learnt about stuff like this at school. I was lucky too – because I went to a mixed-race school in KL, I even got to help my non-Muslim friends celebrate their festivals. Over the years I have done various things with non-Muslims: attended the Buddhist funeral of a classmate’s mother; attended the christening of a friend’s son; attended the (very) Catholic wedding of another friend; attended my Catholic father-in-law’s funeral.

What’s more, I have walked inside and around many, many churches and cathedrals, read parts of the Bible, visited the infamous Murtad Malaysia website and even seen parts of the Torah. Does this mean that my aqidah is now terpesong?

So, for the record: despite venturing into churches, reading about apostates, delving into the books of other religions (and the anti-religious) and helping others celebrate various non-Muslim festivals (religious and cultural), my aqidah is fine (and please allow me to thank in advance anyone who wishes to remind me to “mengucap banyak-banyak”). I don’t claim to be a good Muslim, but I am and remain, despite all of the above, a Muslim.

That being the case, I don’t see why Jakim should define other people’s festivals. Wouldn’t it be better to get Hindus to explain the significance of Deepavali and Thaipusam? And Buddhists the significance of Wesak Day, and so on? Then we can decide for ourselves what we should or shouldn’t do. Honestly, why aren’t we Muslims credited with enough intelligence to work out for ourselves what is right and what is wrong?

Then I read a report about the arrest of about 200 Shia Muslims in Gombak. I remind you once again that I am not a Muslim scholar and I have no wish to start a debate about the rights and wrongs of the Shia belief.

However, to arrest people for simply believing in a different branch of Islam? As Dr Mohd Asri states, we are going down the Taliban route if we start persecuting other Muslims (never mind non-Muslims!) because we don’t subscribe to their brand of Islam. Are these people actually harming the country? If not, then we appear to be going down the road of persecuting people because of how they think rather than what they do.

It strikes me that – given the way our officialdom want us to practise Islam – the great Islamic thinkers from generations past like Imam Hanbali and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) would probably have been persecuted too had they had the misfortune to live in present-day Malaysia. What a woeful reflection of Islam we are!

Surely there are plenty of other things for our ulamas to take issue with?

Take the case of the former Perak Syariah judge Hassan Basrie Shapiee who was found guilty of corruption. What are IKIM’s and Jakim’s views on this matter? Here is a person sworn to uphold Islamic law who has made a complete mockery of the Syariah court.

Try as I might, I can’t find a single pronouncement from any of our religious bodies about this case. It’s bad enough if we Muslims can’t even trust in the integrity of the Syariah courts, but what is worse is what appears to be the complete silence from our religious bodies on the matter.

Then there is the practice of videoing those caught in khalwat raids. That’s bad enough, but what is infinitely worse is how some of these videos have made it on to the Internet. You may think those who are caught deserve everything they get, but this is just not right.

The purpose of these videos, as far as I can see, is humiliation and to a certain degree, tittillation. If our religious authorities can explain how making such videos public serve Islam, then explain away. If not, then shouldn’t they be condemning the people who make these videos public?

Aren’t these sorts of cases more detrimental to Muslims and Islam in general, than worrying about Muslims who celebrate non-Muslim festivals with their non-Muslim friends or “fahaman pluralisme”?