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Tag: Shafiqah Othman Hamzah

  • Shafiqah Othman Hamzah: The Hypocris Of Malay Muslims

    Shafiqah Othman Hamzah: The Hypocris Of Malay Muslims

    APRIL 16 ― Zakir Naik is a world-renowned Islamic scholar. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that his name has travelled across continents and countries.

    He’s also an extremely controversial figure. Known to many as an authority in comparative religion, while to some others, as a charlatan who holds no regard for people of other faith.

    This Sunday, April 17, Zakir Naik was scheduled to have a talk at UTeM titled “Similarities between Hinduism and Islam.” However, the talk got cancelled after it raised uneasiness within the Hindu community. Sensitivities were touched and eventually, IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar released a statement regarding its cancellation.

    Immediately after, there was an uproar in the Malay Muslim community. People started talking about how this was an infringement of freedom of speech, and that Hindus were probably just afraid that their adherents would convert en masse during the talk.

    People started talking as though Zakir Naik was denied entry into the country, like how he is barred from UK and Canada. They started talking as though all his talks were cancelled when that was just one out of the many other events he has here. The rest of his talks are carried out as per normal.

    Zakir Naik released a statement about how he was upset that such a small matter was blown out of proportion to the extent that Malay Muslims were fighting amongst themselves. He said that some Muslims even had the audacity to call another Muslim “kafir” just because of different opinions.

    However, amidst the hustle and bustle of the controversy, I cannot help but feel appalled; not by Zakir Naik, but by the hypocrisy of Malay Muslims. The Malay Muslim community of Malaysia has such jarring double standards, and it’s even more obvious now than ever.

    The Malay Muslims who get upset when people talk bad about Islam or when Muslims present a version of Islam that is unfamiliar to them are the same Malay Muslims who shout “It’s freedom of speech!” when Muslims belittle other religions or when an Islamic scholar says something that is potentially inflammatory but is parallel to their beliefs.

    But where were you when Dr Ulil Abshar Abdalla was denied entry into Malaysia in 2014 for supposedly being a deviant? Zakir Naik is notorious for his support of al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden while Ulil was denied entry to “defend Malaysia’s brand of Islam” despite wanting to speak against terrorism. What does this say about our brand of Islam then?

    The Malay Muslims who say that freedom of religion is mutually exclusive from Islam, disallowing the propagation or profession of other faiths while discriminating against converts from Islam or apostates, are the same Malay Muslims who use that term to justify the propagation of Islam, to fight back cases of Islamophobia, to encourage adherents of other religions to join Islam and to defend converts into Islam who are attacked by their family or friends.

    But where were you when Lina Joy wanted to get her religion changed legally? Where is your outrage regarding the Raif Badawi case? Did you try to defend Juli Jalaluddin when she was deported out of Malaysia?

    The Malay Muslims who are against pluralism and expect religious minorities to respect the needs and wants of the Muslim majority are the same Malay Muslims who would be appalled at the news of abuse or killings of Muslim minorities in foreign countries, saying, “We should respect other religions! We have to learn to live in peace and harmony!”

    But where were you when protests were held against the construction of a Hindu temple? Or when Molotov cocktails were thrown at a church? Where were you when a church was forced to take down their cross?

    The Malay Muslims who rallied behind Zakir Naik’s statement against excommunications of other Muslims are the same Malay Muslims who so very easily label others “kafir” for unorthodox opinions.

    But where were you when progressive Muslims get told to leave Islam because of their opinions? Where were you when organisations like Sisters In Islam are labelled “deviant” and accused of infidelity? Did you try to stop any acts of takfir (excommunication of another Muslim) when you see it happen? Or did you jump on the bandwagon because the thoughts of these unorthodox Muslims didn’t mirror yours?

    Obviously, I know that not all Malay Muslims think like this. But a huge group of us do and it can be seen everywhere. These Malay Muslims that I am talking about only support certain values when it benefits them, or wherever it is convenient for them. They don’t apply these values across the spectrum and immediately take back these “privileges” when someone does not share the same thoughts and opinions as they do.

    Their “freedom of speech” means “freedom of speech only for my group.” Their “freedom of religion” means “freedom to only practise Islam.” Their disagreement on takfir means “as long as you think like me, you’re still a Muslim.”

    If you don’t agree with the limitation of Zakir Naik’s freedom of speech, you shouldn’t agree with the limitation of other Muslims’ freedom of speech. If you don’t agree with the belittling of Islam, you shouldn’t agree with the belittling of other religions. If you don’t agree with the excommunication of Zakir Naik, you should not agree with the excommunication of other Muslims.

    The problem now is not with Zakir Naik, but with the hypocrisy of our Malay Muslims. Like what is written in the Qur’an, “Do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just.” Thinking back, have we really been just to the rest of Malaysians? I wonder.

    *This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Are We Falling In To Religious Fundamentalism?

    Are We Falling In To Religious Fundamentalism?

    “Muslim fundamentalism is an ideology which stands against choice, hope, change, and humanity. Islamism is a danger for the Muslim population. It is a danger for us.”

    So what is Islamism and Muslim fundamentalism? These two terms are often interchangeable and most times mean the same thing. We see it being used a lot, but what does it really mean?

    Marieme Hélie-Lucas, Algerian sociologist and founder of Women Living Under Muslim Laws, described fundamentalisms generally as “political movements of the extreme right which in a context of globalisation… manipulate religion… in order to achieve political aims.”

    Now that we have established the meaning of fundamentalism, it is important to now understand that Islamist movements are primarily political, not spiritual. So if you think that their aim is to guide you to the “right path”, think again.

    Islamism is a type of Islam that uses religion as an ideology to create a totalitarian political platform, which means creating a centralised government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion. This kind of rule exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life, including the will or thought of the people of its nation.

    To fundamentalists, their social model is the only one that can exist, it is the “absolute truth”.

    The most common line you’d hear from a fundamentalist would be, “This is Islam, and you cannot question it!”

    They deny the possibility of interpretation and reinterpretation, even though their adherents have been a part of it for centuries. I mean, how else could you explain the emergence of the different schools of thought?

    Fundamentalists embrace absolutism and refuse to accept questioning, insisting on a monolithic system of Islam based on their beliefs, and prosecuting you for thinking against their conventional thoughts.

    Islamists denounce secularists, often painting those who support secularism as anti-religion. They are against an ideology that promotes religious harmony because they wish to govern the state under their own rules, in this case, “Islamic rules”.

    In a Muslim-majority country, what easier way to make people succumb to you than by using religion as a tool to garner support?

    Fundamentalists aim to bring political religion into all spheres of life. They will police, judge and change anyone that is Muslim into their monolithic system. Sometimes even going overboard and demanding non-Muslims to conform.

    A lot of times, they aim sharply at women’s rights, policing and restricting our clothes, speech, and career, but this is usually bolstered with the soothing language of respect and protection. No doubt, there are women fundamentalists who advocate for these movements, but usually they don’t realise that they do so at the expense of other women as well.

    Most people associate Islamism and Muslim fundamentalism with violence, advances that are physical. But there is one type of fundamentalism that is just as deadly, and that fundamentalism is given the term “diffused fundamentalism.” This kind of fundamentalism is naturalised into your daily lives, and most times we don’t even realise it.

    They are absorbed and then spread through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, the internet, television, radio, sermons and word of mouth.

    A lot of times, they are being spread as forms of entertainment. Shows on who is a good Muslim or who is not, talk shows in which you can enquire about what kind of sex you can have with your spouse and still “be a good Muslim”, pronouncements (with a little bit of humour added in) on how to talk, walk, dress, eat, sleep and all the little things you do in your daily lives.

    This fundamentalism is invisible in its pervasiveness and that’s what makes it so dangerous. Once absorbed and socially accepted, they become hard to combat and overturned. Diffused fundamentalism has essentially taken the beautiful and aesthetic religion that I grew up with, and turned it into a series of bodily functions.

    Diffused Muslim fundamentalism is dangerous because it is the seed that supports the growth of a society that condones violence and discrimination. It is the seed that sprouts the mentality that excuses the actions of Islamist groups such as ISIS, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. It is the seed where it all begins.

    Any kind of fundamentalism creates an oppressive environment. That, we all know. It’s not rocket science. After everything that we have seen so far, in the news and media, are we falling into religious fundamentalism?

    You be the judge.

    Just always remember: Go into politics with Islamic values, but never politicise Islam.

    * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

     

     

  • Shafiqah Othman Hamzah: Why I Am Against Institutionalised Religion

    Shafiqah Othman Hamzah: Why I Am Against Institutionalised Religion

    I think I have, on many occasions, explained that I do not like using the term “religion” all that much. I prefer to substitute it with “spirituality” for very personal reasons. But today, I’d like to explain some of the many reasons why the word “religion” plays little to no role in my life, and why I feel like it is irrelevant.

    I can already hear people calling me blasphemous.

    Please do not get me wrong, for what I am truly against is not religion, like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism etc. but in fact, “institutionalised religion.” And that does not mean that I am against institutions as well. I do believe that we need some systems of operations and governing in our lives in order to avoid chaos, but I feel like governance in religion is something that should not exist. Isn’t religion supposed to be personal?

    All around me, I see people arguing who is right and who is wrong, who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. There are Muslims vs. Christians, and to make things worse, even Muslims against other Muslims as well. The situation in Malaysia speaks for itself. The demonising of other religions, including other sects of Islam that is not Ahl Sunnah Wal Jamaah, or even Sunni Syafie for that matter, goes to show that our government is trying to dictate how we practise our religion.

    There are far too many people in Malaysia (let alone the world) for us to try to advance one particular theology. Not only is this an offence to the diversity that God has bestowed upon us, but it creates a great divide between our citizens. The world wouldn’t be in peace if we all believed in the same thing; we would be in peace if we had a mutual understanding of our differences.

    Which brings me to my next point. The moment someone thinks that their theology is the one and only infallible truth, they immediately hold a monopoly on God. This can be seen when Malaysia banned the use of “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia translated version of the Bibles. Yes, they banned it for theological reasons, but as you can see, this is where the problem comes in.

    No matter how differently your theology or understanding of something may be, at the end of the day, we are all parts of the same whole. No one owns God. This is against the idea of a universalistic God. Islam does not own Allah, but Allah owns everything. And if the reason behind the ban is to prevent Muslims from getting confused, than you have to question the faith of your own followers instead of putting them in a bubble. You’re not protecting them, but rather, placing them in deeper ignorance.

    Institutionalised religion also promotes blind belief through coercion and fear. You have to think a certain way because someone above you says so. You have to do a certain thing because someone above you says so. But you don’t really understand why you’re doing it. You were raised to not question, but to just follow. And out of fear of the consequences that may come, you blindly agree with everything that is being spoon-fed to you because you were taught to believe that questioning is a sin.

    The most heart-breaking thing about institutionalised religion for me is that it also teaches us to judge a man not based on his character and how he treats others, but by the way he dresses. Spirituality has been taken over by superficiality. Institutionalised religion insists on playing God.

    Religion is the act of believing in God, and institutions establish a systematic way of doing things. Institutionalising religion then ultimately means establishing a system of how to believe in God. How can this be possible when there are over 6 billion people on Earth? And how could anyone ever think that we are authorised to dictate the spirituality of Man as though we’re God Himself?

    It should not come as a surprise to anyone at all that our world is filled with such diverse views. No two people think the same way and whoever thought that it was best to turn us into a monolith should understand that all their attempts are futile.

    Why is it so hard for people to agree to disagree with each other without inflicting pain or harm towards the other? Are we that conceited and full of ourselves to think that our opinions and upbringing is the one and only infallible truth? To me, one of the best things to do to honour God is by honouring and respecting the diversity that He has given us on this Earth. We are, after all, a part of His creation.

    It’s one thing to be against another religion for holding a different view, but institutionalised religion can cause even adherers from the same religion to go against each other. At the current rate of increasing Islamophobia that is happening across the globe, we need Muslims to unite more than ever now instead of merely denouncing each other for different opinions.

    There is no systematic way to live, let alone believe in God. Personal matters of the heart aren’t something Man should meddle with. It is none of our business, and definitely not in our place to judge. This is the reason why it is so important for us to be kind to each other, because we don’t know each other’s stories.

    We are all equal before the eyes of God. Just because I don’t think or dress like you, it does not make me more or less of a Muslim.

    * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

    Shafiqah Othman Hamzah

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com