DEC 28 ― There was more reason for joy for some of us during the public holiday last Wednesday but unfortunately it was not for those who actually celebrated Christmas. Perhaps it was for the evangelists anyway. I was referring to YB Khairy Jamaluddin’s recollection on his days as a student in a Catholic primary school in Japan and how his faith remained intact throughout the period ― an outcome that he attributed to solid upbringing by his parents and also the helpful environment he was in.

The personal anecdote, however, gave more than just a warm, casual Christmas message that YB Khairy may have intended it to be. It provided another round of ammunition for the liberals and the evangelists to continue their attack on Islam and Malays in this country. As for the liberals, one can’t be blamed to feel curious on why they are so keen in sticking their nose into matters not concerning them such as in the case of the current dispute between the Catholic Church and the Muslim majority, and why they are taking the side of opposing the Muslims.

This however can be traced to the ideas and ideals they are trying to propagate in this country. Liberalism put excessive emphasis on individualism. Its proponents call for absolute individual freedom. They will reject any ruling by the state that they deem restrictive to this liberty although the intent is to protect a particular group of people. This is the reason they found YB Khairy’s story as something to be highlighted and celebrated. They must be quick to pounce on this and highlighted that, on the issue of Christianisation, a Muslim has nothing to fear because YB Khairy has proved it. If YB Khairy could do it when he was just a young boy, surely any Muslims can do it too. So their logic says (and probably YB Khairy’s too).

But Islam as the way of life is not just about individuals. The interest of the society has always come first. The well-being of the ummah is always the priority. The system of zakat and baitulmal in Islam is the embodiment of these values. When it comes to acts that can affect the interest of the society in general, the principles of Islam call for prevention rather than intervening when implications have set in. We can see its application in Islam such as the eradication of riba and the prohibition of alcohol as well as vice, just to state a few examples.

Nonetheless, in some localised circumstances, in a particular point of time, things that are originally permissible can be changed to the opposite, and vice versa. This is done for valid reasons especially in preventing harms to the Muslims. It is of course carried out through a proper methodology by a recognised authority, not as and when an individual feels like to (as the liberals would have preferred). A prime example of this is the ruling preventing the Catholic Church in Malaysia from using the word Allah in their weekly publication. It is not a case of trampling on others’ beliefs as the liberals always portray it to be, sowing hatred along the way. It is not at all unreasonable either so as to leave the Christians with no means of worshipping what more a total ban of the religion altogether.

To an extent, YB Khairy was correct from an individual perspective that one will not lose his or her religion if one’s belief is strong, what more with a supportive environment and upbringing. But not every Muslim commands such opportunity, which in some cases rendered their faith vulnerable or in worse cases, become target of proselytisation. Thus, as an Islamic country, it falls upon the authority to provide protection to this group of people, to continue giving proper guidance on Islamic faith while at the same time do away with any threat that may affect them. The liberals may never comprehend the wisdom of such actions because to them this is an interference with one’s freedom of choice and therefore need to be rejected. This goes to show that liberalism and Islam are not compatible and never will be.

Back to YB Khairy, he may need to go down to the ground more often (informally, without protocols and such) to understand this sensitive issue further. He should visit more villages, low cost flats, orphanages, shopping malls, cyber cafes and not necessarily just in his Rembau constituency. He should go and talk to the agencies and NGOs that provide shelters and rehabilitation to those who have murtad or been induced to do so. Many of them are youths so YB Khairy may care more to know.

Hopefully this will not go down the archive as another case of our ministers saying the darndest things when giving comments on current issues. Putting some effort to understand the things that concern most people goes a long way and he won’t appear to be so detached from the reality on the ground. To drive this home, one close friend aptly rephrased his message, “If I can afford to pay the toll, everyone can afford it too. All that you need is just a thick wallet”.  How does that sound to you now, YB?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.