DECEMBER 11 — 1. I, on behalf of all right minded citizens of Malaysia, would like to to express how disturbed and deeply dismayed we are over the continuing and non-relentless attacks that have been aim towards Muslims, Islamic institutions and Islamic laws in this beloved country of ours.

2. For far too long, people have misused, abused and corrupted positive words such as progressive and wasatiyyah. For example, in recent times, the word wasatiyyah, which literally means moderation, has been hijacked by liberals, pluralists, agnostics, feminists and other similar groups intent in creating mischief, corruption, chaos and confusion in the land.

3. In the Holy Quran, Allah SWT has warned us about these group of people. An example is in Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 8-14.

4. In the mind of these transgressors, they are the moderates but in reality, they are the extremists. If we look at the history of Islam in Malaysia, there have always been groups on the far right (e.g. Al-Arqam, ISIS) and on the far left (e.g. Sister in Islam, Ayah Pin) but the majority of Muslim in Malaysia tend to not follow these deviant groups. Alhamdulillah!

This is in line with the saying of the Prophet SAW:

“‘My nation will not unite on misguidance, so if you see them differing, follow the great majority.”

5. I am sure that all of us are aghast with the criticism made by these liberals against the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Minister at Prime Minister Office, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, in response to the recent Court of Appeal judgment on the right of transgender to dress according to their identity.

6. Why is it when we as Muslims try to defend the sanctity of our faith, we are being condemned and criticized but when the non-Muslims do something similar, it is deemed as democratic and a form of freedom of speech or religious rights? To Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, I would like to ask, where is the justice in this?

7. Which parent in their right mind (Muslims or non-Muslims) would allow their son to be a cross-dresser? Although cross-dressing and gender-neutral parenting are considered to be acceptable in the Western society, nonetheless, we have never aspire to become a western nation. We are proud to be Malaysian and we are proud with our cultural heritage!

8. Since majority of the 25 signatories were former high-ranking government servants during the time of Tun Dr Mahathir premiership, it is indeed strange that they are going against the spirit of Vision 2020, which was the brainchild of Tun himself. The following is an excerpt of what Tun Dr Mahathir said at the Inaugural meeting of the Malaysian Business Council held in Kuala Lumpur on February 28,1991:

“You might ask, what is ‘a fully developed country’? Do we want to be like any particular country of the present 19 countries that are generally regarded as ‘developed countries’? Do we want to be like the United Kingdom, like Canada, like Holland, like Sweden, like Finland, like Japan? To be sure, each of the 19, out of a world community of more than 160 states, has its strengths. But each also has its fair share of weaknesses. Without being a duplicate of any of them we can still be developed. We should be a developed country in our own mould.”

“The fourth is the challenge of establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in religious and spiritual values and imbued with the highest of ethical standards.”

9. Now, I would like to address the 5 issues, which was raised by the so-called 25 prominent Malays.

9a) Plurality of our legal system — civil court vs Shariah court.

Frankly, if we were not colonised, our constitution would be similar to what was practiced during the time of Malaccan Sultanate (Undang-Undang Melaka). But alas, we were colonised and the English Law was imposed on us and we inherited it until today.

Under the Federal Constitution, Islamic law is a matter falling within the State, not the Federal Legislature as stated in Article 74, Ninth Schedule. Unlike during the Malaccan Sultanate where Islamic Law covers wide spectrum of laws — economy, family, criminal, and commercial — our current Shariah Court mostly deal with family law.

So, why are these people so riled up about? Is it to totally get rid of an already very limited and weak Shariah Law?

9b) The lack of awareness on the legal jurisdiction of Islamic laws in Malaysia.

I do not believe there is a lack of awareness of legal jurisdiction of Islamic laws in Malaysia. Any college student would know that limits of Shariah Law in Malaysia. The reason they are saying this is because the current setup does not fit with their ideology/agenda.

9c) To debate the ways Islam is used as a source of public law and policy in this country.

I believe the problem in our country currently is EVERYONE want to give their two cents on how they want Islam to be implemented in Malaysia — even the non-Muslims want to have a say on Shariah Law which is truly bizarre since Islamic Law does not affect them. We never had such a strained race/religion relationship during the premiership of Tun Dr Mahathir.

9d) The need to promote awareness of the rich diversity of interpretive texts and juristic opinions in the Islamic tradition.

What does it mean by ‘diversity of interpretive texts’? This statement can be confusing and controversial. In Malaysia, we follow the aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah as stated by the National Fatwa Council Committee on the 5 th of May, 1996:

“Muslims in Malaysia must only adhere to Islamic teachings that is according to the creed of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah in aspects of ‘aqeedah, Sharee’ah, and akhlaaq.”

The term Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah originated from two words, namely “Ahlus Sunnah”  and “al-Jamaa’ah,” which  indicates a group that adheres to the beliefs of Prophet SAW  or following his way of life and that of his companions.

If you think, based on your interpretation of the Islamic texts, that a women can be Imam (e.g. Amina Wadud) or that Friday prayer is optional or that one can promote homosexuality and still be a devoted Muslimah (e.g Irshad Manji), then let Allah be your judge in the hereafter. But if you start to openly preach these perverted and deviant teaching to the public, then I believe, majority of Muslim in Malaysia will support the State in taking a stern action.

9e) The need for the prime minister to assert his personal leadership as well as appoint key leaders who will champion debate and discourse on the administration of Islamic laws.

First of all, Islamic Law is a State matter. I believe the Prime Minister has seen what an utter failure the

National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) truly is. The ‘backstab’ by NUCC committee is regards to Akta Harmoni has woken the Prime Minister to the true and misguided agenda of some of the NUCC committee members. This is why I believe the Prime Minister made the recent announcement in regards to Akta Hasutan. I hope and pray that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister will be steadfast (istiqamah) in resisting the pressure by these liberals and walk the path of true moderation.

In summary, although there have been non-stop criticism and attacks on Islamic institutions and Muslims, I believe that in the end, batil (falsehood) will never overcome haq (truth). I strongly believe there is a concerted effort by individuals and foreign funded NGOs to create mischief in this country. As moderate Malaysians, we should all speak up and do not let the liberals speak on our behalf. Speak and write as often as we can. For Muslims, we should argue and engage with these liberals as commanded by Allah in Surah An Nahl ayat 125-128. Insha Allah, if everyone play their part, then come year 2020, we will truly become a fully developed nation in our own mould — where the citizens have strong religious and ethical values.

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