KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — The understanding of Islam in Malaysia is skewed because the faithful are expected to follow whatever they are told by religious leaders without question, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
The country’s longest serving prime minister said there are “terrific lessons” that can be found in the Quran that are not given due attention as those “learned” in Islam insist on using only the Arabic version of the holy book, which he claimed is a language not many understand.
“Many teachings and interpretations are wrong and continue to be wrong because we are not allowed to question,” he said in his speech when launching former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s new book, Asalamualaikum, here.
Dr Mahathir said he has long been confused by the common practice among emcees of Malay weddings to cite the parable of Yusof and Zulaikha as an example of a good marriage.
He said this was because the story is about a married woman lusting after a man who is not her husband and wanting to “do nasty things with him”.
“Obviously nobody read the Quran in a language that they understand. The Arabs understand it, which is why they are killing each other,” Dr Mahathir said in a sarcastic tone.
He also argued that the only true guide for Muslims should be the Quran, which should be properly translated by religious experts so the faithful can truly understand the many teaching and messages of peace and justice espoused by the holy book.
Without such efforts, the only form of Islamisation that the country will experience will be one of banning things that are “not Islamic enough”, he warned.
“Here we are not following the Quran, we are following the ustaz,” he said.
In his earlier speech, Zaid said there is a need for constant discussions on Islam and the trend of Islamisation in the country, claiming that politics has taken a leading role in expanding the religion to the detriment of all Malaysians.
He said the country is now torn between those who want to uphold democracy and those who he claimed practiced fascism “under the guise of religion”.
“My interest is to invite more conversation and find the way forward... Islam is not what we preach, it is what we do,” Zaid said.
