If I’m not mistaken, Last Sabtu morning, I saw Ambassador Alami Musa.
We were both jogging. In opposite directions. Me towards East Coast. He was probably on his way back.
I don’t know whether that’s a metaphor. For the way we envision the direction of the Muslim Ummah…
Bro Alami is my Muslim brother. So I need to be careful what I say. As Muslims, we judge by what is apparent.
And what is apparent to me was that during his tenure as MUIS head, the organisation went decidedly on a Liberal bent.
It was a bold social experiment, probably done as a bulwark against terrorism against the backdrop of the JI arrests. There was clearly a movement to present a ‘version’ of Islam that is palatable to Liberal ideas. So a plan was established to use MUIS to push the Liberal agenda. No effort and money were spared. They got top Liberal ‘scholars’ to our shores – even Ali Asghar Engineer, the chap who coined the term Liberal Islam. Then scholars from Jaringan Liberal Islam from Indonesia was roped in, and MUIS even published a booklet filled with writings of Liberal scholars. Then Asatizahs doing their PhD were sent to a hub of Liberal Islam in Indonesia. Then MUIS came up with the 10 points for an ideal Muslim community, with ideas of secularism and pluralism being pushed. Then there was the tie-up with Hartford Seminary and sending MUIS officials there, presumably so that there can be ‘bridges of understanding’ with the seminary. Isn’t the primary function of a seminary to train Christians to do proselytization? Is there no other place to send MUIS officials?
Then there was the watering down of the syllabus of Youth and Kids Alive. There is ittle emphasis on absolutely critical issues like classical Tawheed. Kids are taught subjects like How to be Muslim in SG. So an intelligent Muslim child goes to these part-time classes in our mosques. He is not given a strong grounding in classical Islam. He goes to university.
And he is ripe for the picking of the Liberals that flood academia.
We now hear that Ambassador Alami has joined the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). And he heads a team that includes a former MUIS officical active in the Reading Group.
It is a bold social experiment. Because it has as it’s goal to move the Muslim community towards a more Liberal stance. And this is done probably at the behest of Minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs. It is an ambitious undertaking. Because the Muslim community, no matter how much faults we have, are still ideologically very much conservative.
Alhamdulillah. Allah azzawajal is Protecting the Aqeedah of the Muslim community here. After more than a decade of trying, the bold social experiment has failed. And failed miserably. Even the self-identified liberal Farish Noor has concluded that there is very little traction of Liberal Islam in the masses. All over SEA. Including SG.
I write this as a sincere attempt for Ambassador Alami and others to think long and hard before carrying on with this obstinate obsession of trying to push a Liberal Islam agenda.
Because it is causing friction within the Muslim community here. Already some MPs are voicing out their discomfort.
And subhanallah. The recent #wearwhite episode makes it really clear that the Muslim community here is conservative. And they are crying out for true leadership in the Malay-Muslim community.
So when a few like-minded brothers – led by a courageous young Ustaz – decided to do something because they were uncomfortable with the way SG society is heading, the response was overwhelming.
Many are uncomfortable wuth, for eg, the movement to mainstream homosexuality in SG. That’s why there was strong support to wear white for the first day of Ramadhan.
To be sure, the Minister and MUIS did what they could to foil the movement. Wearwhite was denied the open venue of a stadium. No matter. Muslims could use the mosque to voice their support of a return to fitrah, and a rejection of the mainstreaming of homosexuality.
Even that was denied wear white. The Minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs made that statement that mosques must be neutral and not take a stand. Huh? The mosque should not take a stand against something that is clearly against Islam? Something that is heinous in the eyes of Allah azzawajal?
But Alhamdulillah. Allah azzawajal is the Best of Planners. If wear white is restricted any physical space, they went into the virtual space. Subhanallah. So many sent pictures of support by uploading their pictures in white. Entire families wore white. There was a family who celebrated a new-born, and they all wore white. Mosques became seas of white. SG Muslims from as far as Alaska sent in pictures to lend their support to the movement. Then the Christians also lent their support, with entire congregations wearing white in the thousands.
We ask Mr Alami and his new team in RSIS to please consider that the Msulim community is still very much conservative. And we are no longer content on being the silent majority. The sleeping giant has awakened, insha Allah.
If we see more Liberal islam ideology being shoved down our throats, we will react. And we will make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.
So let’s be clear. If there is any friction in the community, it is because the minority, led by an elite bent on altering the status quo, is pushing on with theis obstinate obsession of changing the very fabric of the Malay Muslim community.
It is ill-advised. It is foolhardy.
Ultimately, it is very unpopular with the masses.
And would be the ultimate vote-loser.
Wallahualam. Barakallahufeek.
Authored by Syed Danial
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