Hijacking Islam
The raid by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) officials was a sad and unfortunate incident, which has served only to widen the already serious misunderstanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
The raid by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) officials was a sad and unfortunate incident, which has served only to widen the already serious misunderstanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
Jais may have acted according to the law and its concerns over murtad (apostasy) may be valid, but the manner in which the investigation was conducted leaves much to be desired nonetheless, and the arrogance shown on the part of the officials only affirms the 
worst scenario feared by many: haughty ethnocracy replaced with intolerant theocracy.
And I can barely conceal my anger over Khalid Ibrahim’s leadership failure. Hasan Ali’s defence of Jais’ action is only expected because for him, religion is more often than not a political tool, yet the state government’s inertia now verges on acquiescence of the state exco member’s lack of discipline.
Pardon my naivety, but I cannot quite fathom why would it be so daunting a task for Khalid to chastise Jais and Hasan for their reckless behaviour while empathising with the apprehension of the Muslim community. Does any Muslim in his or her right mind truly believe the sanctity of Islam can be safeguarded in uncouthness?
What, I surmise, Jais did at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) has again vindicated the prejudice of those who have long been on a lookout to portray Islam as a religion of hate, if not violence, which of course is not doing anyone any good other than emboldening the fanatics of all persuasions.
Both Hasan and the Jais officials only form the tiny minority in a vast Muslim population in Malaysia, and their words and deeds cannot be taken as reflective of the very community that they claim to represent.
Malaysians ought to have some minimal wisdom in differentiating between faith and politics. As a Christian, I rejected all pretence by George W Bush to defend ‘civilisation’ by invading first Afghanistan and then Iraq, just as a devout and sincere Buddhist would discern between the real teachings of the Buddha and the construction of grandiose temples and monasteries by Burma’s paramount leader General Than Shwe through forced labour.
Before those who relish in finding fault with Islam find a reason to be gleeful, I would argue Muslims are urged by Prophet Muhammad to respect the places of worship of others.
Pact with the Christians in Najran
For instance, there was a pact with the Christians in Najran - at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula - under which “the lives of the people of Najran and its surrounding area, their religion, their land, property, cattle... and their places of worship are under the protection of Allah and guardianship of His Prophet... Their present state shall neither be interfered with, nor their rights meddled with, nor their idols deformed.”
Meanwhile, Prophet Muhammad assured the St Catherine Monastery that no compulsion was to be on Christians and Muslims must protect to the end of the world the integrity of their houses of worship.
And finally, Prophet Muhammad made it crystal clear that followers of Islam must not harm or molest the Nazarene Christians, who were granted full liberty of worship in their churches and homes. “None of their churches shall be torn down, or altered into a mosque, except by the consent and free will of the Nazarenes. If any one disobeys this command, the anger of God and His Prophet shall be upon him.” 
Prominent Muslim scholar Dr Youssef al-Qaradawi, in disapproving of al-Qaeda terrorism, states that it is not permissible in Islam to attack places of worship such as churches and synagogues, or attack men of religion, even in a state of war.
Therefore, the disrespect of the Jais officials is clearly at odds with Islamic teachings, which also tarnishes the image of the Muslim communities worldwide. In fact, such frenzy is not acceptable to any right-thinking Muslim, which explains why Khalid’s ambiguous stance is most disturbing and infuriating.
When the Atlantic Monthly published the convoluted Roots of Muslim Rage by Bernard Lewis in September 1990, it not only successfully defined the parameters of debate on the challenge of Islamic revivalism, but also depicted a collective image of Muslim rage. As we look to the West for modernity, development and knowledge, we receive en masse its construction of others, wittingly or unwittingly.
Not inherently prone to wrath
Muslims are not necessarily or inherently prone to wrath. The grave challenges confronting the existing Muslim world: income disparity, war, terrorism and oppression, have their origins in the history of developmentalism and colonialism that cannot be summed up and explained with incidents of the past few decades. Just as one should not ignore the several thousand years of Chinese history but focus on the recent events - such as the senseless and tragic Boxers’ Uprising - in an attempt to make sense of the modern Chinese nation.
As Professor John Esposito rightly points out in his book The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, Muslims were fervently acquiring knowledge in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Bukhara and even in Spanish Cordova at a time when much of the European continent was chained in the Dark Ages. “Had Muslim armies not been turned back at Poitiers, the language of Oxford, as indeed of Europe itself, might have been Arabic!”
My point is simple: Islam came to Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula over five centuries ago. Much of the time, Muslims have lived in harmony with non-Muslims in this region. The anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia in 1965 and 1998, as well as the May 13 clash in Malaysia in 1969 had everything to do with racial politics but nothing with religion.
If the inter-religious ties in our country have worsened in recent years, I trust politics is first and foremost responsible for it.
However, if terrorist acts committed by several selfish individuals in the name of Islam easily prompt us to question the goodwill of our Muslim compatriots, it only speaks volumes of the fragile trust between us.
Islam has long been hijacked by politicians, and non-Muslims should seize the opportunity to reach out to the moderates such as Sisters in Islam, the Islamic Renaissance Front, Dzulkefly Ahmad of PAS, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (left) and Nurul Izzah Anwar of PKR, and many others and help them make their voices heard.
If one only makes use of the DUMC incident to paint Islam in a negative light, enmity with the majority of the Malaysian population is assured, and that would be a fight that is not only needless, but also unwinnable.
As for Hasan and Khalid, and those who remain conspicuously silent on Jais’ misconduct, a golden opportunity for them to prove Islam as a religion of peace and love is lost, all for the sake of political convenience.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
