Malaysia: an Islamic State?

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=6551

18/07: Najib, Malaysia is not an Islamic state

[print] Category: General

Posted by: Raja Petra

Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew

Dear Malaysians, please do not take Najib Razak seriously. I personally believe that he does not understand or differentiate between an Islamic state, an Islamic nation and an Islamic country.

Having Islam as the official religion does not make Malaysia an Islamic state.

A government driven by Islamic fundamentals also would not make it an Islamic state. What more in Malaysia, we were not driven by Islamic fundamentals as claimed by the deputy prime minister. How could he call Malaysia an Islamic state when we still have licensed casino like the Genting, lotteries like Magnum, Toto, 3+1D and Bigsweeps?

And how about draconian laws that clearly go against the tenets of Islam like ISA (detention without trial) and OSA?

Does Najib know that in an Islamic state, you cannot have Sultan or King as the supreme leader of the land has to be an ulamak ( religious guru)?

I once pointed out to the former prime minister Dr Mahathir at a forum in Shah Alam one year after he unilaterally declared Malaysia as an Islamic State, that he may be the most powerful man in this country but he has no rights to declare Malaysia as an Islamic state.

I also pointed out to him that since he did not seek the approval from the Cabinet and the Parliament, I would regard his proclaimation as null and void and purely his personal opinion.

Besides, I also argued that both the Reid and Cobalt Commissions did not specify Malaysia as an Islamic state. And that besides DAP, the Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikkhism had openly objected to the unilateral proclaimation of Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir was taken aback by my arguments. He was unable to give an satisfactory answer and being a seasoned politician, he quickly cut short the dialogue and adjourned for tea! ( I was the second speaker from the floor)

And I once again wish to tell Najib that Islam is our official religion (mainly ceremonial) but Malaysia is certainly not an Islamic state.

We can accept that Malaysia is an Islamic nation or Islamic country, just like Indonesia and Brunei.

I would even go one step further to state that it’s totally acceptable to adopt certain Islamic values which are universal in nature into our system of governance. We have nothing to worry if the government of the day truly follows the tenets and values of religion.

This is an Islamic state: Najib

Jul 17, 07 6:27pm Malaysiakini

Malaysia is an Islamic state and not a secular one, the country’s deputy prime minister said today, while carefully assuring members of minority faiths that their rights will be protected.Najib Abdul Razik said mainly-Muslim Malaysia has never been a secular nation as the government has always been driven by the fundamentals of Islam, according to state Bernama news agency.

“Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic state,” Najib told reporters after he opened an international conference on the role of Islamic states.

“But as an Islamic state, it does not mean that we don’t respect the non-Muslims. The Muslims and the non-Muslims have their own rights,” he said.

Najib’s comments come at a time of heightened religious tension in moderate Malaysia, where ethnic Chinese and Indians fear their rights have become endangered, following a growing sense of Islamisation in the country.

More than 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people are Muslim Malays and Islam is the official religion under the country’s constitution.

Political pawn

In an immediate reaction Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said that Najib had repudiated the Merdeka “social contract” by his statement today.

“It would appear as though the Merdeka social contract becomes a political pawn when political parties or individual political leaders find it expedient to manipulate and exploit it to shore up their political support,” said Lim in a statement.

He added that Najib has cast a very dark cloud over the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations this year with his statement today.

Lim said this raised grave questions about the future of the Merdeka social contract and the compact reached by the forefathers of the major communities on the fundamental basis of Malaysian nation-building.

Constitutional rule

But while the constitution defines the ethnic majority Malays as Muslims it also guarantees freedom of religion. Minority Chinese and Indians are mostly Buddhists, Hindus or Christians.

“We have never been secular because being secular by Western definition means separation of the Islamic principles in the way we govern a country,” he said.

Lawyers and rights groups have consistently argued that Malaysia is largely a secular state and should be ruled by the constitution.

However, in a string of legal cases involving Muslims and non-Muslim spouses who have been forced apart by Islamic religious officials, sharia court judgements based on Islamic jurisdiction have always been upheld.

In a recent landmark decision, the nation’s top secular court rejected a woman’s bid for legal recognition as a Christian after she renounced Islam.

http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=6551