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Friday, October 10, 2014

Drunk on Muslim intolerance

Our future depends on moderate Muslims who dare speak out against intolerance and injustice.
COMMENT
suami_300Are you prepared to help the battered wife of an abusive husband, or will you shut your ears and eyes, when you hear her being physically and verbally abused? Will you wait till she is beaten to within an inch of her life before you help? Or will you be too late, because you deliberated for too long, and she was killed?
The state of Selangor is like a battered wife. She is punched, kicked, and verbally abused, but she still resumes her role as the dutiful wife. Her neighbours can hear her being beaten and flinch when they hear her cries of help. Her neighbours are reticent about helping. Her husband will tell them to mind their own business. They also assume that the wife will be ashamed of her predicament. Her own family members, living in the same household, appear helpless. They are afraid that the husband will attack them, instead.
The domestic violence scenario is an apt euphemism for Selangor. The state has barely recovered from the Menteri Besar saga, when another threatens to spoil the peace – this time, over beer.
It wasn’t too long ago, when the Allah controversy reared its ugly head, the cow-head incident threatened security, a woman who was about to exchange her marital vows was dragged away for questioning and a few undercover reporters destroyed the sanctity of Holy Communion in a Catholic church, in their attempt to expose the alleged conversion of Malays.
In Malaysia, religion is used to distract from real issues like rising poverty, the increase in crime, the low morals of many MPs and their equally destructive cousins, the Mat Rempits.
In the Selangor case, the battered wife’s neighbours, who consist of both Muslims and non-Muslims, are reluctant to say or do anything because they are afraid of her husband. The violent husband is the euphemism for the conservatives and the ulamas in society.
Many moderate Muslims are afraid to make their opinions known, because these religious bigots will criticise them. The non-Muslims are fearful, because they will be accused of interfering. Don’t allow the bigots to silence you!
Except for a few courageous Muslim leaders, like PAS’ Shah Alam MP, Khalid Samad, our Muslim leaders have failed Malaysia. Malaysia is not an Islamic country, despite the wishes of the ulamas and conservative politicians, to turn it into a caliphate.
This country emerged from the collective toil and sacrifice of all its people, including the mistreated Orang Asli and the neglected people of East Malaysia. The success of our leaders is not measured by its determination to pander to the majority and the elite.
Today, Malaysia may feel like a broken society, torn apart by racial and religious intolerance, but only if you allow the bigoted politicians and ulamas to ride roughshod over you.
Khalid represents the voice of reason, but he has attracted the ire of the conservative rabble rousers in his party and elsewhere. Good men who look after the interests of all in their community, are a threat to bigots and hypocrites. Khalid’s enemies will vilify and attack him.
Malaysia’s success relies on elected people, like Khalid, representing all, including the minorities, but there is another important factor. Our future depends upon the moderate Muslims, who must speak out against intolerance and injustice, and drown out the extremist views of misguided ulamas and conservatives.
Khalid defended the Oktoberfest beer festival and said it should not be shut down, as it was not aimed at the Muslim community. The PAS Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan disagreed. He said that Malaysia was an “Islamic country” and that the beer festival represented a “public vice” and threatened “Muslims sensitivities”.
Nasrudin appears to be more concerned about protecting Muslim sensitivities, only. Conservatives like him give Islam a bad name. His definition of the religion has affected Islam’s narrative of being a religion of peace and tolerance.
Remember the cow-head incident, the destruction of temples, or the lengthy persecution of book shop manager Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz, whose employers sold the book by the feminist, Irshad Manji.
Nasrudin should investigate the ease with which Muslims can allege that companies sell porcine-laced butter, chocolates or sauces thus triggering major losses for the firms. Does he condone body snatching? Or kidnapping in child-conversion cases?
Malays who post photos on Facebook beside a skinned cow’s head are dismissed as just larking about. Alvin Tan of Alvivi fame, who did something equally stupid, faced endless persecution. Ibrahim Ali and KL’s Umno-Baru Youth who threatened to torch bibles and buildings, respectively, escaped scot free.
If Nasrudin wants to protect Islam, he should do something about the neighbouring state of Kelantan, where the gang rape of two teenagers by thirty men, in broad daylight, over several hours, went seemingly unnoticed by the community.
Perhaps, he could investigate why several married housewives, on the East coast, were infected with the AIDs/HIV virus, by their husbands? Will he do a study on the high rate of incest and drug taking amongst Malays?
Does he think it is right that the moral police can intrude on people’s privacy, thus making people think that Islam is a hive of sexual perverts and voyeurs? Nasrudin is silent on the elephant in the room – corruption.
A few gallons of beer will give the drinker a sore head and a full bladder. On the other hand, religious indoctrination corrupts Malay reasoning, erodes their values, gives them a sanctimonious attitude, and makes life a misery for everyone. Malaysians, like the battered housewife, should strike back and defend themselves.

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