Respect Islam first, then dialogue
Soon Li TsinPublished: Jun 8, 2007 4:29 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
Respect Islam first, dialogue about it second. This is the message from Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) president Yusri Mohamad.
Respect Islam first, dialogue about it second. This is the message from Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) president Yusri Mohamad.
Speaking at a dialogue regarding apostasy, he told some 600 people who packed a hotel in Petaling Jaya last night that there must be respect for the religion, its specialists and authorities.
The dialogue titled 'Malaysia, After Lina Joy - A Dialogue' was organised by opposition party DAP.
"It's a danger if we try to build circumstances around something very fluid and subject to debate. Islam is not all-consensus," said Yusri.
"Who gets to determine which part of Islam is already settled and definite and which part is still open to debate? There must be a respect for authority, specialisation and expertise in Islam.
"Of course you can advise on Islam but please respect the sensitivities," he stressed.
Public sphere
Yusri, who is a law lecturer with the International Islamic University, elaborated that despite the common understanding that religious conscience is something between a believer and god, Islam reacts differently when such an issue is made public.
"Once you air your conscience in the public sphere then there is a clear divide.
"When you air it or go to court, it is public and it is no longer between you and God but you're already crossing the divide into the public (sphere)," he pointed out.
He then explained that there is a clear provision in Islam which states that there is a duty upon the community in Islam to regulate the public sphere.
"Islam is not apologetic when it says it comes together with laws that govern and extend to the private and public space, it is different from your conventional and secular understanding.
"The private space (in Islam) is very narrow compared to private laws in other conventional, secular understanding," he said
Genuine cases
Yusri said where and how a person leaves the religion is a technical issue and it is an Islamic law issue as it is a sensitive matter.
However, he said there is still room to revisit apostasy laws though dialogue but reiterated that respect for the religion must come first.
"I'm not saying that it's written in stone and that you cannot try to revisit it, you can do it. But please respect Islamic law as an established discipline. Come through the proper door," he added.
He said genuine apostasy cases should be allowed such as the case of the mixed up baby in Batu Pahat, Johor, where a Chinese baby was swapped and ended up in a Muslim family.
"Although is it not apostasy in the truest sense of the word, that can still qualify as a genuine case. There is space to discuss," he said.
Yusri, who also heads Pembela - a loose but vocal coalition of Muslim groups formed in response to the increasing public debate surrounding Muslim apostates and the position of Islam in the country - asked for more time to allow Muslims to deal with the issue.
"We are not that closed, we are wiling but allow us to deal with it on our own terms and have respect for the specialisation and expertise in our judicial consideration," he said.
Speech interrupted
The Abim president's speech was interrupted on several occasions.
At one point, he had asked those present: "Don't we agree that we still maintain the best record in the world of a multi-religious and multiracial society living with each other?"
The audience responded with a resounding, "No!"
In another instance, he was explaining that Islam is a religion close to one's heart and "grips you". This led a member of the audience to remark that all religions were close to the hearts of its respective believers and were gripping.
Yusri then had the audience in stitches when he responded: "This is why in an ideal dialogue, only the panel speaks."
The audience was later advised by DAP economic advisor Tony Pua, who was chairing the dialogue, to refrain from interrupting the speakers.
Other speakers at the four-hour dialogue included Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian Bar president S Ambiga, PKR secretary general Khalid Ibrahim, Universiti Malaya academician Azmi Sharom and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
Speaking at a dialogue regarding apostasy, he told some 600 people who packed a hotel in Petaling Jaya last night that there must be respect for the religion, its specialists and authorities. The dialogue titled 'Malaysia, After Lina Joy - A Dialogue' was organised by opposition party DAP.
"It's a danger if we try to build circumstances around something very fluid and subject to debate. Islam is not all-consensus," said Yusri.
"Who gets to determine which part of Islam is already settled and definite and which part is still open to debate? There must be a respect for authority, specialisation and expertise in Islam.
"Of course you can advise on Islam but please respect the sensitivities," he stressed.
Public sphere
Yusri, who is a law lecturer with the International Islamic University, elaborated that despite the common understanding that religious conscience is something between a believer and god, Islam reacts differently when such an issue is made public.
"Once you air your conscience in the public sphere then there is a clear divide.
"When you air it or go to court, it is public and it is no longer between you and God but you're already crossing the divide into the public (sphere)," he pointed out. He then explained that there is a clear provision in Islam which states that there is a duty upon the community in Islam to regulate the public sphere.
"Islam is not apologetic when it says it comes together with laws that govern and extend to the private and public space, it is different from your conventional and secular understanding.
"The private space (in Islam) is very narrow compared to private laws in other conventional, secular understanding," he said
Genuine cases
Yusri said where and how a person leaves the religion is a technical issue and it is an Islamic law issue as it is a sensitive matter.
However, he said there is still room to revisit apostasy laws though dialogue but reiterated that respect for the religion must come first.
"I'm not saying that it's written in stone and that you cannot try to revisit it, you can do it. But please respect Islamic law as an established discipline. Come through the proper door," he added.
He said genuine apostasy cases should be allowed such as the case of the mixed up baby in Batu Pahat, Johor, where a Chinese baby was swapped and ended up in a Muslim family.
"Although is it not apostasy in the truest sense of the word, that can still qualify as a genuine case. There is space to discuss," he said.
Yusri, who also heads Pembela - a loose but vocal coalition of Muslim groups formed in response to the increasing public debate surrounding Muslim apostates and the position of Islam in the country - asked for more time to allow Muslims to deal with the issue.
"We are not that closed, we are wiling but allow us to deal with it on our own terms and have respect for the specialisation and expertise in our judicial consideration," he said.
Speech interrupted
The Abim president's speech was interrupted on several occasions.
At one point, he had asked those present: "Don't we agree that we still maintain the best record in the world of a multi-religious and multiracial society living with each other?"
The audience responded with a resounding, "No!"
In another instance, he was explaining that Islam is a religion close to one's heart and "grips you". This led a member of the audience to remark that all religions were close to the hearts of its respective believers and were gripping. Yusri then had the audience in stitches when he responded: "This is why in an ideal dialogue, only the panel speaks."
The audience was later advised by DAP economic advisor Tony Pua, who was chairing the dialogue, to refrain from interrupting the speakers.
Other speakers at the four-hour dialogue included Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian Bar president S Ambiga, PKR secretary general Khalid Ibrahim, Universiti Malaya academician Azmi Sharom and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
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