Amid the ongoing sedition dragnet, former
minister Zaid Ibrahim continues to push the envelope, claiming that the
"Islamic state of Malaysia" may perhaps be more violent than the Islamic
state (IS) itself.
He called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to look at the violence being committed in their own backyard.
Zaid was commenting on their condemnation of the violence perpetuated by the Islamic State (IS) movement.
"Cutting someone's head off may be unacceptable but isn't it fair to ask how Malaysia is any different?
"IS leaders say those who don't accept their decisions violate religious tenets and commit the offence of insulting the religion, which means their position is no different from religious leaders in Malaysia," he wrote in his blog today.
Zaid
noted that IS could argue that God's laws are perfect and therefore
there is no need to incorporate and embrace other world experiences,
morality or value systems in determining the application of divine laws.
"They would be as 'correct' in their stance as (Malaysian Islamic bodies) Jakim and Jawi," he added.
In Malaysia, Zaid noted, if an abandoned child is found and remains unclaimed after several weeks, the fatwa is that the baby is deemed to be a Muslim.
"This means the baby is automatically disqualified from being adopted by a non-Muslim family. To make things more difficult, some Muslims are reluctant to adopt babies born out of wedlock.
"So where does this unfortunate newborn go? It looks to me that the Islamic state of Malaysia is just as violent, if not more so than IS if it’s not even willing to defend a child’s integrity and safety," he added.
Looking for plentiful signs of compassion
To distinguish the "Islamic state of Malaysia" from IS, the former minister said, he is desperately looking for signs that compassion and justice, which Islam promotes, are plentiful here.
"But I do not see enough of them," he lamented.
"My remarks will anger some Muslims. They will say that I am a bad Muslim, with the audacity of trying to change God's laws.
"But I am not changing anything. I am merely questioning the understanding of these laws. If we cannot question them, then our clerics are no different from IS clerics, who just need to declare that God’s laws are perfect and kill all their opponents," he added.
So before Najib and Anwar continue condemning IS, Zaid hoped the two would take a good, long and hard look around the country and the misery that Muslims suffer.
"If they truly want to showcase the true and peaceful Islam, they need to engage local Muslims on substantive issues regarding their faith.
"These two leaders must be prepared to talk about things that matter to the country, even if it means losing some votes in the process," he added.
He called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to look at the violence being committed in their own backyard.
Zaid was commenting on their condemnation of the violence perpetuated by the Islamic State (IS) movement.
"Cutting someone's head off may be unacceptable but isn't it fair to ask how Malaysia is any different?
"IS leaders say those who don't accept their decisions violate religious tenets and commit the offence of insulting the religion, which means their position is no different from religious leaders in Malaysia," he wrote in his blog today.
Zaid
noted that IS could argue that God's laws are perfect and therefore
there is no need to incorporate and embrace other world experiences,
morality or value systems in determining the application of divine laws."They would be as 'correct' in their stance as (Malaysian Islamic bodies) Jakim and Jawi," he added.
In Malaysia, Zaid noted, if an abandoned child is found and remains unclaimed after several weeks, the fatwa is that the baby is deemed to be a Muslim.
"This means the baby is automatically disqualified from being adopted by a non-Muslim family. To make things more difficult, some Muslims are reluctant to adopt babies born out of wedlock.
"So where does this unfortunate newborn go? It looks to me that the Islamic state of Malaysia is just as violent, if not more so than IS if it’s not even willing to defend a child’s integrity and safety," he added.
Looking for plentiful signs of compassion
To distinguish the "Islamic state of Malaysia" from IS, the former minister said, he is desperately looking for signs that compassion and justice, which Islam promotes, are plentiful here.
"But I do not see enough of them," he lamented.
"My remarks will anger some Muslims. They will say that I am a bad Muslim, with the audacity of trying to change God's laws.
"But I am not changing anything. I am merely questioning the understanding of these laws. If we cannot question them, then our clerics are no different from IS clerics, who just need to declare that God’s laws are perfect and kill all their opponents," he added.
So before Najib and Anwar continue condemning IS, Zaid hoped the two would take a good, long and hard look around the country and the misery that Muslims suffer.
"If they truly want to showcase the true and peaceful Islam, they need to engage local Muslims on substantive issues regarding their faith.
"These two leaders must be prepared to talk about things that matter to the country, even if it means losing some votes in the process," he added.
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