Archive for category Bakri Musa
His Hollowness The Imam of Islam Hadhari
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa on Monday, 22 October 2007
by M. Bakri Musa
You can tell much about a creed by its practices, in particular that of its leader. By this measure, Islam Hadhari is a cruel hoax perpetrated by Abdullah Badawi on the citizens. This recently concluded Ramadan was Abdullah’s fifth as Prime Minister. On none of those occasions did he see fit to live or demonstrate the spirit of generosity and forgiveness that is the hallmark of Ramadan.
During the tenure of Mahathir, as well as others before him, it was traditional for the King on the advice of his Prime Minister to pardon prisoners during the last days of Ramadan, in time for them to join their families for Eid celebrations. We had the writer and philosopher Kassim Ahmad as well as the scholar Syed Hussin Ali, prisoners of conscience under the ISA, thus released. My classmate, once a fast rising star in UMNO and a former cabinet minister, was also pardoned of his murder conviction and released.
Abdullah has had five Ramadans to demonstrate the generosity or magnanimity of his Islam Hadhari. He missed them all. Equally significant, during the recent 50th Merdeka Anniversary, Abdullah did not see fit to have any amnesty program for prisoners. Nor did he have one on assuming power.
In his typically sermonizing Hari Raya message he exhorted Muslims to be generous and gracious. That was as far as he went; nothing beyond dispensing homilies.
On closer scrutiny, there was nothing in the ten stated principles of his Islam Hadhari about generosity or charity. How foolish of me to assume that the “Islam” of Islam Hadhari would at least have some redeeming qualities like charity, a pillar of our great faith!
Abdullah’s idea of generosity during this last Hari Raya was to host a multi-million ringgit “Open House” at the Putra World Trade Center. Rest assured that the funding of this mega bash would come out of the public treasury. It is easy to spend or give away money when it is not yours. Read the rest of this entry »
Practical Policies, Not Party Politics
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa on Monday, 15 October 2007
by M. Bakri Musa
[In a recent private e-mail to me, a reader chastised me for being “NATO” (No Action, Talk Only). He intimated that if I really loved Malaysia, I should come home and contest the elections. As many readers share his sentiment of me, I post my reply to him. His original letter, in the usual rojak style of Malay liberally interspersed with English, follows.]
Dear Johan:
Thank you for taking your valuable time in sharing your thoughts with me.
My retort to your “NATO” (No Action, Talk Only) accusation is simply this: Been there, done that! However, such a tart response would not do justice to a diligent reader like you who has, by your own admission, bought all my books!
As for my returning home, I served Malaysia on my own accord (no scholarship or other contractual bonds) for nearly three years way back when. It was at a time when my presence (at least initially) doubled the number of Malay surgeons in the country! Although I was proud of my achievements during my brief tenure there, I soon discovered that I would have fewer headaches if I were to stop banging my head against the bureaucratic wall. So I left.
I have returned many times since. On each trip, instead of bringing trinkets for my nieces and nephews, I brought boxes of books to donate to my village school library. On one occasion, the principal proudly displayed to me the mound of books that I had donated over the years. She proudly drew my attention to the fact it was significantly bigger than a similar gift from the World Bank! Read the rest of this entry »
Narcotizing the Masses Through Religion
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Religion on Monday, 8 October 2007
by M. Bakri Musa
In the 19th Century, tiny Britain was able to humiliate the great Chinese Empire and subdue its masses by making opium readily available to them. It was also highly lucrative for the British, with the poor Chinese bearing the heavy burden. To be fair, Chinese leaders from the Emperor on down were fully aware of the dangers, but despite their valiant efforts they were unable to prevail against the British.
Today Muslims, Malays in particular, are being similarly narcotized, not by opium but by an equally potent agent: religion. Unlike the Chinese of yore who were victims of a malevolent foreign power, with Malays it is our leaders who are doing it to us, and with good intentions too. They want us all to end up in Heaven! Touching!
The Muslim masses today, like the Chinese of the 19th Century, were not unwilling victims. They are not to be blamed, just like we cannot blame a patient who is in great pain wanting a powerful painkiller. It may not cure the underlying disease but at least it relieves the suffering. Likewise when your daily existence is terribly painful — the fate of the vast majority of Muslims — you too need immediate relief. It would be cruel and inhumane to deny that.
The familiar official indices readily reveal the targic reality of daily existence of the Muslim ummah: high mortality and low literacy rates, pathetic per capita income, gross abuses of human rights, women deprived of their basic dignity, and oppressive governments. It is obvious to all, except the leaders. Visit the slums and squatters of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, and the anguished reality of unbelievable depravation will hit you hard even if you try to avoid it.
Muslim leaders should worry less about their followers ending up in Heaven and focus more on the monumental task at hand of lifting the masses out of their current living hell. It may be argued that if religion brings relief to their daily struggle, so be it. That is a delusion; the narcotizing effect of religion is even more destructive. Read the rest of this entry »
Ramadan Is More Than Just Fasting
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa on Wednesday, 3 October 2007
by M. Bakri Musa
In the documentary film American Ramadan, a Christian minister related his experience in Malaysia. It was during Ramadan, and he was at the airport at dusk to collect his luggage, but everyone at the counter was intently watching the clock, eagerly awaiting the breaking of fast. He did not know then the significance of the month and thus could not comprehend the workers’ apparent obsession with time. An older clerk however came over to help and spent over an hour with the visitor while the others were busy eating.
To me, that older clerk best demonstrates the true meaning and spirit of Ramadan. It is more than just fasting during the day; it is about being generous. He was generous with his time and himself to help a total stranger, albeit a customer. The older clerk could just as easily join his co-workers in eating after a day of fasting, or simply have the counter “Closed for lunch!”
Ramadan As Allah’s Special Blessing
Tradition has it that during Ramadan the doors to Hell are closed while the gates to Heaven are wide open. That reflects the generosity of Allah during this holy month. As our Imam Ilyas Anwar said in the first Friday sermon of this Ramadan, we should use fully this opportunity afforded by Allah. The best way for us to show our respect for Ramadan, and thus for Allah, is to reciprocate His generosity by being generous to our fellow humans and to His other creations.
We should not however, take that tradition literally and consider it a license to be reckless and get killed during Ramadan just to secure a slot in Heaven. Nor does it mean that an evil person dying in Ramadan would be spared Hell. Such decisions after all are the prerogative of Allah, and only of Him. Read the rest of this entry »
Deal with the Rot, Not the Tape
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Bakri Musa, Judiciary on Sunday, 23 September 2007
by M. Bakri Musa
If Chief Justice Ahmad Feiruz has any sense of personal honor and professional integrity left, he should resign immediately. If Prime Minister Abdullah has even the slightest responsibility for leadership and moral duty to the citizens, he should not extend the Chief Justice’s contract, due to expire this October. If the Malaysian Bar Council has any credible principle of societal obligation and self-policing ethics of a profession, it would disbar the lawyer making that phone call shown in the infamous video clip exposed by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Alas, judging from past performances, expect none of these. That is the unfortunate reality of Malaysia today. What remains then would be for the King to withhold consent for extending Feiruz’s contract, thereby precipitating an unnecessary and distracting constitutional crisis the nation could ill bear.
The Bar Council had an Emergency Meeting, but instead of initiating the necessary disciplinary proceedings on the involved lawyer (which would definitely be within its power) it decided instead to march at Putrajaya and hand a petition to the Prime Minister demanding for a Royal Commission. Next those lawyers would be demonstrating on the streets. So Third World, a la Pakistan! I would have thought those smart lawyers would have concocted some novel legal theory on which to sue the government into action.
Meanwhile Abdullah Badawi was “disappointed,” not at the explosive contents of the video but the fact that it was released. Wake up, Mr. Prime Minister! The rot is the Malaysian judiciary, not the taping. If Abdullah does perk up from his slumber, he would probably order the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim!
Chief Justice Feiruz, taking a leaf from the Prime Minister’s notorious “elegant silence,” issued a terse, “No comment!” It was neither elegant nor silent; instead it was ugly and spoke volumes. Read the rest of this entry »
Distilling the Essence of Islam
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Religion on Monday, 17 September 2007
(Din Merican and M. Bakri Musa)
Dear Bakri:
I had the pleasure of chatting with Imam Feisal Rauf at the Blog House in Bukit Damansara last Sunday (September 9, 2007) after he led our Maghrib prayers. The occasion was the special interfaith Doa Selamat prayers seeking Allah’s Blessings for Tun Mahathir’s speedy recovery from his second bypass operation on Tuesday September 4th. As you know, The Tun had his first on January of 1989.
Apart from being the former Prime Minister and an outstanding leader, Tun Mahathir was also my mentor and hero. Thus the multi-faith congregational prayers Imam Feisal led had a special significance for me.
The Imam’s greater effort is in trying to bridge the divide between the West and Islam. I thoroughly enjoyed his recent book and understood his theme: the commonality of our faiths with their universal message of love, charity, and goodwill.
Until I met him, I did not know that he had studied at a local school in Kuala Lumpur. That explained his impeccable Malay and special affection for Malaysia!
I was also delighted to learn that he is the son of the distinguished and yet very humble Egyptian scholar-teacher, the late Tan Sri Professor Dr. Muhammad Rauf of Al-Azhar University, Cairo. I must say that Imam Feisal also inherited his father’s handsome features!
The late Professor — I knew him as Dr. Rauf — was my professor at the University of Malaya when I did Islamic Studies in my first year (1960). He (Al-Fatihah) taught Islamic History, the Quran, and the Hadith. He had a huge influence on my thinking about and my attitude towards our religion. Prior to that, my exposure to our Holy Book, like you I presume, was through the lessons taught by my simple kampong ustaz.
Hence the special bonding I felt for Imam Feisal, as reflected in my affectionate hug after the Maghrib prayer that Sunday. I had to hold back my tears. I felt deep within my heart that he reminded me very much of my earlier special Professor of Islam. Yet it did not occur to me to ask him whether he knew Professor Rauf! Imam Feisal’s manner of speaking, appearance, and views on Islam were very much of my enlightened intellectual Professor Rauf, Imam Feisal’s father. Read the rest of this entry »
Rooting For An Islamic State of Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Islamic state on Monday, 3 September 2007
M. Bakri Musa
While still savoring the euphoria of the 50th Merdeka celebration, this thought comes to mind: If I were a non-Muslim Malaysian, I would be fervently rooting for an Islamic State of Malaysia (ISM). This may sound irrational, but bear with me as I elaborate.
First and foremost, I would become a hero among Malaysian Muslims. They are a significant number, in fact the majority at 60 percent. Even those with the dullest political instinct will readily appreciate that in a democracy, when the majority treats you as a hero, you are definitely bound for greater heights.
Second, with 60 percent of the population consumed with religion, it would leave the other 40 percent who are non-Muslims to service the worldly needs of the “pious” ones. Imagine the economic bonanza from the enlarged market and reduced competition!
Third, in an Islamic State, the charging of interests (ribaa) would be haram (not permissible). Muslims would not be allowed to partake in economic activities involving the charging of interests. As modern capitalism is built upon credit (the flip side of loan interests), this would effectively leave the entire capitalistic market, in particular finance, to non-Muslims. Again, another bonanza! Read the rest of this entry »
Makna Merdeka 50
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Merdeka 50th anniversary on Thursday, 30 August 2007
Makna Merdeka 50
Merdeka negara! Merdeka bercita!
Bebas negara! Bebas bersuara!
Merdeka bukan hadiah penjajah
Kebebasan insan hasrat Allah.
Alam ku luas, borkat Illahi
Rezki ku Tuhan yang mengsukati.
Laut, gunung, sempadan tanpa ku segani
Gelombang dunia berani ku layari!
Kampong halaman bukan nya sauh
Ingin ku menghilir merantau jauh.
Di mana bumi ku pijak, di sana langit ku junjong
Selagi hati berhajat, cita ku jangan di kandong.
Hidup, bebas, bahagia, hasrat Allah
Pantang celaka lah jika di ubah.
Raja dan menteri mesti mempatuhi
Jangan kau mungkir perentah Illahi.
Rakyat negeri bukan nya kuli
Untok di kerah ka sana sini.
Zaman purba tak akan kembali
Mungkin menteri yang di buang negri!
Renungkan nasib si Idi Amin
Yang Shah Pahlavi pun tak terjamin.
Pemimpim negri mesti menginggati
Rakyat — bukan raja — yang di daulati.
Tidak ku sangka songsang
Anak dagang di negri orang.
Orang kita/orang sana, tidak bermakna.
Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia
Bukan kah itu gesa Laksmana?
Urat ku mendalam di bumi asing
Loghat ku pun ikut sama mengiring
Sambal belacan dah berasa lain
Teras ku tetap Melayu tulin! Read the rest of this entry »
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