TAKING a step back, PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang has reiterated the existence of Islamophobia in Malaysia but stop short of blaming it squarely on DAP whom he had previously accused as a major proponent of the phenomenon.
In his latest “PAS president Mind” series posted on his Facebook, the Marang MP has regarded Islamophobia as a weapon of thought attack against Islam which was orchestrated by the colonial government to prevent the revival of Islam.
In place of DAP, he generalised his accusation by claiming that “political parties, secular groups and individuals who are hostile to Islam – especially through the borderless media – cannot hide their hostility towards Islam in ignorance or malice”.
“Recently, Islamophobia is spread to the pluralistic society in in Muslim countries, especially among non-Muslims. This includes Malaysia for the purpose of sparking sheep fight among Muslins and non-Muslims so as to prevent the power to return to true Islam which can then rule the country.”
On the contrary, Hadi stressed that the very truth of Islam will be revealed if its teachings are studied sincerely with the aim of seeking the truth, including through dialogue in a scientific manner without fanaticism.
“But they (enemies of Islam) are very afraid to dialogue or debate face-to-face but instead chose to close the door on the true concept of democracy to Islam by curtailing freedom of speech and harassing those who espouse Islam through writing,” he revealed.
“History has proven that the influence of Islam on mankind spread wherever an Islamic kingdom was established such as in Central Asia and Southeast Asia, up to North Africa and Southern as well as Eastern Europe.”
Instead, Hadi argued that Islamic teachings are reported “dishonestly, selectively and imperfectly” by orientalists who were only keen to find underlying weaknesses in the religion.
“Among the focus is the law of halal (permissible) and haram (prohibited) without offering a true and complete interpretation to overcome misunderstanding and confusion. They set aside Islamic judicial principles, concepts and systems that guarantee true justice,” he lamented.
“They highlight some Islamic Sharia law (Islamic law) especially criminal law such as qisas (eye-for-an-eye/retributive justice), hudud* and takzir (discretionary punishment) so that it is considered violent without realising that violent criminals must be severely punished as a lesson to other potential criminals and to protect the general public.”
* Hudud crimes (apostasy, revolt against the ruler, theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander, and drinking alcohol) carry penalties that include the amputation of hands and feet, flogging, and death.
Hadi went on to illustrate how the history of war was ‘twisted’ with the real enemy who were cruel and violent were portrayed as innocent while “Muslims who defended their religion, people and country were instead painted as violent and cruel”.
“Muslims who oppose invading foreign invaders are considered pirates, while the invaders are considered freedom fighters,” he added. – Jan 24, 2023
