KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — In a series of articles today, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) accused liberal Islamists of selling out their religion by allying themselves with the Chinese, evangelist Christians, and Muslims of other denominations, which it branded “ultra kiasu”.
Singling out PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad as an example, the Islamist group claimed the liberals were betraying “true Muslims” with their remarks and polluting the image of Islam.
“They blind themselves to the tribal calls of the Chinese, whom these days openly and without fear, are sowing the seeds of hatred among Malays.
“They kept silent in front of acts which insult Islam, done constantly by the Chinese,” said Isma’s central committee member Mohd Hazizi Abd Rahman, referring to the so-called liberals.
In addition, Hazizi accused the liberals of allying themselves with the Chinese and Christians to demand the use of “Allah” word in worship, which he said was a trick to convert Malays out of Islam.
“They have become the tools for a foreign agenda spearheaded by a group which combines the fanatical racist teachings of the ultra kiasu and the wild religion invented by the Jews,” Hazizi added.
“Ultra kiasu” is a term usually used by controversial Muslim convert writer Ridhuan Tee to label federal opposition party DAP, but he has since applied it to other groups including Christians and the Chinese in general.
Hazizi also expressed his dismay that the liberals are working together and supporting Christian evangelists and the followers of the Shiah teaching, the latter which he accused as an invention of the Jews.
While the liberals are promoting Islam as “a blessing to the world” in order to garner the votes of non-Muslims, they do not mind polluting the image of Islam and obscuring the religion’s teachings and principles as long as they can unseat the nation’s rulers, said Hazizi.
He also claimed that the liberals do not have the backing of Islamic scholars, as they have constantly rejected fatwa, or religious edicts, decreed by muftis in Malaysia.
“They are letting non-Muslims mock religious scholars and institutions in this country, as long as that is parallel to their political desires,” Hazizi claimed.
“They only sometimes listen to the opinions of a former mufti and a couple of liberal scholars who share their views,” he added, but did not name any.
Isma did not explain its reason for singling out Khalid, but the PAS MP had recently been vocal in criticising Selangor’s religious authorities for its handling of the Malay-language bible, even calling for it to be separated from the state’s religious council.
Isma also slammed Zaid Kamaruddin, the vice-president of Muslim group Ikram, for chairing the newly-formed movement Negara-Ku, claiming he has forgotten his vows to fight for Islam.
Yesterday, Negara-Ku was launched by lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreneevasan and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, who were both previously co-chairmen of the electoral reform watchdog Bersih 2.0.
The two touted the group as a “people’s movement to reclaim the country”, and is endorsed by over 60 civil society groups and NGOs.
Quoting academic Assoc Prof Dr Khalif Muammar A Harris, an article by Isma attacked Ikram for joining non-Muslim liberals and secularists who follow the Western world-view.
Another column by Sharipudin Ab Kadir, the chief of Isma’s Pasir Puteh chapter, also accused Samad of only being a yes-man, and an “escort to an infidel woman”, referring to Ambiga.
“Pity that Malay leaders were excited posing in the event as if they had the calibre and abilities, but they were actually there just to fill up the seats,” said Sharipudin, who also heads Isma’s decision-making council.
“Ambiga was the one who spoke and declared what she and her NGO wanted to achieve. The others were only riding on Ambiga’s coattails. They could not be Ambiga, but they wanted to feel like her.”
Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman accused Negara-Ku yesterday to be against Islam as the religion of federation and the rights of the Malays, alleging it was a new front for humanist, liberal and religious pluralist movements in the country.
Isma had previously attacked Ambiga in a series of campaign against the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) last year, claiming the lawyer as one of the alleged masterminds of the human rights lobby group.
