Be consistent with religious views, Muslims told
KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims must be in sync with each other when expressing religious views and opinions.
It would be peculiar should opposing thoughts were expressed, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said it would be pelik (peculiar) if Muslims were “not on the same page when it comes to expressing views on the religion”.
“For instance, is it not peculiar when the safety and interest of Palestinians be placed lower than that of Israel?” he asked a gathering of ulama (Islamic scholars), intellectuals and bloggers at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here yesterday.
The Prime Minister cited an example whereby a political leader had labelled Malaysia’s sodomy laws as “archaic” and should be amended.
“Is he implying that Allah’s laws are archaic? Singapore, which is not an Islamic country, has similar laws, and results of a survey showed that the people there think that such laws need not be amended.
“But here, there is a leader who wants such laws amended,” he said, in reference to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statements.
Najib said Muslims were at the crossroads to choose leaders who would uphold the dignity and sanctity of Islam.
He also said ulama and bloggers should cooperate with each other, and with the Government, to rectify the wrong perceptions and misunderstanding about Islam.
“Not reacting to misconceptions hurled by irresponsible parties will only be detrimental to Islam.
“Ulama, scholars and bloggers should play their part but must ensure that information is accurate to avoid any confusion,” he added.
He said in today’s age of the IT revolution, information could go viral in a short span of time and it was important to react quickly when false news was sent out.
Najib said he too was not spared from being slandered in the social media, saying that when he performed the haj last year, photographs of his entourage doing the tawaf (ritual procession around the Kaabah) and escorted by Saudi Arabia’s military personnel had gone viral on Facebook and Twitter.
He said irresponsible parties had “deleted” the rest of the crowd from the picture as if to portray that only his entourage had performed the tawaf and this was done “to raise people’s hatred towards me”.
“I was only carrying out my religious obligations but some people abused the event for political purposes,” he added.
The Prime Minister also reminded the people to follow Prophet Muhammad’s example of respecting other faiths without compromising one’s akidah (faith).