It all depends on where you stand

Putrajaya division Umno Youth today lodged a police report over DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang calling Umno members infidels during a Galas by-election campaign ceramah (public talk).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

A police report has been made against Lim Kit Siang. It seems Kit Siang called the Umno people ‘infidels’ during a ceramah in Gua Musang, Kelantan. Kit Siang, however, has denied the allegation and says he was not even at the place where he was supposed to have uttered that statement.

You can read both reports below.

Now, what is an infidel? According to the English language, an infidel is a non-believer or unbeliever. This would be synonymous with agnostic, atheist, gentile, heathen, heretic, non-worshiper, pagan, etc. That is the understanding of ‘infidel’ in the English language.

So, if you were a Jew, you would regard all non-Jews or gentiles as infidels. A Christian would view all non-Christians as infidels. And Muslims regard all non-Muslims as infidels.

But it does not stop there. Jews consider fellow Jews of other sects as infidels. As do Christians and Muslims -- who regard all those of their same religion but of different sects as infidels.

Have you not noticed that the Sunnis, Shias, Wahhabis, etc., all call each other infidels even though all are supposed to be Muslims? The same goes for the Jews and Christians as well. And I have a Buddhist friend who also said the same thing about other Buddhists who he said are practicing ‘wrong teachings’. And a Hindu friend of mine said the same thing about other Hindus.

In other words, based on the understanding and beliefs of all those who profess a religion, the entire world population are infidels. There is not single true believer in this world. Everyone is an infidel.

Therefore Kit Siang, if he had said what he was alleged to have said, is not wrong. Since he is not a Muslim then Muslims are infidels -- meaning non-believers or unbelievers -- according to his religious belief. And Muslims, in turn, would see Kit Siang as an infidel as well, according to their religious belief. So both Kit Siang and the Muslims are equally infidels according to each person’s religious belief.

Infidels are basically those who do not belief in the same thing as what you believe in. I personally know some Umno people who regard PAS people as infidels. This is because PAS people believe in Hadith and Sunnah and these Umno people do not. They believe only in the Quran and regard Hadith and Sunnah as fabrications and untrue. So PAS people are infidels, according to these Umno people.

So it all depends on what you believe in. And if you believe the opposite of what I believe then you are an unbeliever or non-believer, and therefore an infidel. The Malay Muslims do not believe what the Shias believe. In fact, if a Malay declares that he or she is a Shia, the Malaysian government would arrest or detain this person. And a Shia, in turn, would regard all Malays, not only Umno Malays, as infidels.

From this angle Kit Siang is not wrong in calling Malays or Umno Malays infidels if he looks at things from a non-Sunni Muslim point of view. But then he did not do so. In fact, he was not even there. But if he was and if he had called them infidels he would be right -- unless Kit Siang is also a Sunni Muslim. Then he would need to explain why he regards fellow Sunni Muslims as infidels.

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Police Report Lodged Over Kit Siang's Statement

Putrajaya division Umno Youth today lodged a police report over DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang calling Umno members infidels during a Galas by-election campaign ceramah (public talk).

Its representative Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya said the report was made at the Putrajaya police headquarters for the relevant authorities to investigate the offence allegedly committed by Lim under the Election Offences Act 1954.

"Accusing Umno members of being infidels is extreme and appears to have been endorsed by other quarters in the opposition pact," he told reporters, here, today.

"It was clearly an act of provocation and against the Federal Constitution, which states that people of other religions cannot interfere with a community's religious faith," he said.

Newspapers reported today that Lim had made the statement in front of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kesedar Land Rehabilitation Scheme in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, Kelantan. -- Bernama

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Kit Siang denies calling Umno 'kafir': I was not even there

An outraged Lim Kit Siang denied uttering seditious remarks during a ceramah in Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, saying that he was not even present at the function.

“This is a slanderous accusation...I never said this and I was not even there at the ceramah. This is a twisted and irresponsible plot to spread racial and religious hatred,” Kit Siang told reporters.

Umno-owned daily Berita Harian, in a news report dated yesterday had accused Lim of saying “orang Umno kafir” (Umno members are infidels) during a PAS ceramah in Sungai Terah, to “influence Malays to vote for PAS” for the Galas by-election.

The article quoted Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam as saying that Lim’s alleged remarks were made in the presence of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a ceramah in Sungai Terah.

“What is said is that when Lim accused Umno Malays of being 'kafir', PAS members greeted his remarks with shouts of 'Allahuakbar'. Should we support this party which has deviated from Islam’s true teachings?” said Ali Rustam during a function in Kampung Baru Hulu.

Kit Siang said today that since the “false” news report, Umno Youth Putrajaya had lodged a police report against him.

“I myself will lodge a police report in Gua Musang and will instruct my lawyer to take action against Ali Rustam for defamation,” said Kit Siang.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who was at the press conference, demanded that Berita Harian withdraws the report and issues an apology.

“No DAP leader has ever said Umno is kafir. We are not Muslims, so how we say someone is kafir?” Guan Eng noted. -- The Malaysian Insider