Being liberal is not a crime
I COMMEND Zainah Anwar for her article “OK to use God-given intellect” ( Sunday Star, April 3) in which she argued that there is nothing wrong for Muslims to use reason and intellect in discussing religion – in the same way that they discuss other aspects of life like the political environment, economy and system of laws and regulations – and to express their views and comments on how improvements can be made.
There was a time when liberalism shone in the Muslim world. The golden age of Islamic civilisation saw a flourishing of mathematics and science, arts and culture with the Middle East becoming leading centres of learning in their universities and mosques.
Learned scholars in religious institutions drew inspiration from Greek philosophers and other Mediterranean wisdoms to enrich their analytical writings on both secular and spiritual studies. They looked at the meaning of life and the wonders of the universe, and made startling discoveries in astronomy, medicine and architecture. Muslim writings had a big influence on thinkers and inventors in Christian Europe, extending into Central Asia on the Silk Road to China.
After about 500 years of liberalism, the Muslim world turned conservative when the religious purists launched a movement to condemn the growing influence of liberal ideas on the interpretation of Islam as a way of life. They called for a return to the Quran and Hadiths, and insisted that these religious texts be used as the only source of reference in all situations. The return to religious conservatism had a lasting effect at the centre of the Muslim world.
The ruling class sided with the religious conservatism as the kings and princes were also getting alarmed at the growing popularity of the liberals among the populace. Thus began the alliance between the rulers and the ulama to crush independent thought – at great social cost to the development of the Muslim mind.
This thought control by political Islam was a power play for self preservation of the two partners as both feared the winds of change blowing across continents, especially in the new era of modern technology.
As Zainah, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and others have said, liberals are not a threat to the peace and security of the country, nor are they a threat to the religious authorities. Their mission is encourage Muslims to use reason and intellect in understanding Islam and its practice so that, as the Sultan of Johor recently said, the Malays are not easily led into believing that to be faithful to the religion, they should copy Arab styles of dressing or use only Arabic expressions in greetings.
Liberals maintain that citizens have a right to use reason and intellect to question and raise objections when a law is passed using religion to govern the life of the people or to criminalise personal sins in contravention of the constitutional guarantees on individual freedoms.
This right of dissent applies to all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion because when fundamental principles are violated, a religious law or a secular law becomes a matter for the whole nation to discuss and debate.
We often see little napoleons using the religious edicts to ban music festivals and pop culture for the reason that they encourage immoral behaviour among the youths and offend Muslim sensitivities.
When politicians and religious officials play God to decide our moral behaviour, and use the religious bureaucracy and police to enforce Islamic justice, that is a dangerous sign of state power being used to control our social and political freedoms.
It is encouraging to note that in last week’s Friday prayers, the sermon was about diversity of views.
This theme of tolerance for differences of opinion should be stressed as often as possible to educate the ummah that having liberal views on Islam is neither sinful nor a crime. The liberals are the bastion of democracy and must therefore be given the space to speak their mind freely but within the confines of the law so as not to affect the peace and security of the country.