Hadi Awang and me: Divisiveness is our brand

“In the real world, equal respect for all cultures doesn't translate into a rich mosaic of colourful and proud peoples interacting peacefully while maintaining a delightful diversity of food and craftwork. It translates into closed pockets of oppression, ignorance, and abuse.”

― Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilisations

COMMENT | In my article concerning Abdul Hadi Awang’s dubious comments about the G25, I took a swipe at “progressive Muslim intellectuals”. I wrote: “Progressive Muslim intellectuals always say that non-Muslims should not comment on such issues but this again divides us as a country and makes it difficult to engage because our rights as citizens, regardless of race or religion, are being trampled on and we cannot say anything less we invite the fury of demagogues like Hadi and sanctions from the state.”

This did not go down well in certain quarters. A close friend who is a public Muslim intellectual and who has never advocated such position called me up on it. Sharifah Munirah Alatas in her piece “Read, study, understand, then comment” goes so far as to equate me with Hadi arguing that: “They should spend more time educating themselves about inclusiveness, rather than divisiveness.”...