Islam and Muslims
On the 5th of November 2016, a forum titled “Perlaksanaan Undang-Undang Islam Mengikut Perspektif Maqasid Syariah”, or in English, “Enforcement of the Islamic Legal System from the Perspective of Maqasid Syariah” was held in Bayan Lepas, Penang. The panelists were, Dr. Mohd Iqbal, Mohamed Hanif Khatri, Ahmad Jailani and Wong Chin Huat as the moderator.
Let us see what a forum should be. A forum is a platform to share views pertaining certain issues. The panelists give their views and at the end of the session the moderator concludes.
The conclusion is based a summarised version of the opinions shared earlier. Of course the moderator will imply his understanding regarding the issue.
Interestingly enough the moderator, Wong Chin Huat chose to give his opinion rather than recapitulating the discourse. Not only is this against the norms, but also an insult to the panelists who gave their learned views.
It is as though all of their arguments were dismissed altogether and Wong only wanted his opinions to be heard.
The arguments from such a prolific lineup were discarded, and the moderator chose to put forth his own narrative concerning the issue. He quoted the words of Sheikh Muhammad Abduh before leaving.
When the people of Cairo asked Sheikh Muhammad to share his experience in Paris, he replied “There I saw Islam but no Muslims, and here I see Muslims but no Islam”.
His statement insinuated a reference to the Penang State Government being led by a non-Muslim and yet more Islamic in practice.
Firstly, to quote Sheikh Muhammad Abduh in front of Sunni Muslims is not exactly a sign of wisdom. Secondly, that statement has been refuted since the time it was spoken.
That said, with the amount of scandals that erupted recently in Penang, Islam is by far absent. How did the state government help the Muslims exactly?
By allocating one single house in a public housing project? Is that a what is referred to Islam? What about the right of the majority to rule in a democracy?
Penang is a Muslim majority state but ruled by non-Muslims. Is that not a form of Islam practiced by the Muslims of the state? The distribution of wealth is not exactly fair for other races either.
How does the Penang Institute and/or the state government define being “Islamic”?
How do we address the issue of Islam, when the views of Muslims are not being heard? Arguments were dismissed when they were against the views of the organiser.
Wisdom is to argue with understanding not via dismissal of arguments.
Maybe we should encourage education for people from other faiths about Islam. The true Islam, not the “version” preached by ISIS and/or some others. This way everyone will have a clear idea on Islam.
Rehan Ahmad Bin Jamaluddin Ahmad
Research Fellow, Institut Kajian Strategik Islam Malaysia (IKSIM)
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, and should not be attributed to, Isma or Ismaweb.
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