I refer to the Malaysiakini report Hadi, Guan Eng grilled over hudud

I was surprised at the frankness by which the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng addressed the hudud issue during a press conference for the Kuala Terengganu by election with all the other top Pakatan Rakyat leaders:

‘Lim replied that DAP respects the opinion of its coalition partners but Pakatan Rakyat cannot make decisions as a federal government unilaterally.

‘If any problems occur, we will resolve it through musyawarah, that is through discussions. All three parties must hold discussions and if a consensus is not reached, it must be discussed again.

‘This means, should PKR and PAS agree to implement hudud and DAP disagrees, then it cannot be implemented. Everything must be discussed until all three parties agree,’ he said.

What struck me the most was his emphasis on the need to resolve the matter through discussions, which I think implies several things:

1. That DAP is willing to listen to PAS or anyone for that matter wishing to illuminate them on the subject of hudud or Sharia'. The fact that he is not openly rejecting any possibility of discussing the issue indicated that there is finally a possibility of an agreement between DAP and PAS on the issue.

2. That DAP, by setting down the rules in treating this issue, has recovered the issue of hudud from the arena of political expediency and moved it into the space of constructive, respectful and rational discourse.

No longer will this issue be kept in the drawer only to be resurrected as an election campaign issue either against the Islamist party PAS or deployed by MCA or MIC against Pakatan Rakyat.

I personally think that the issue of hudud has been bandied about and recycled by so many people right across the political spectrum so much so that no one really understands what they are talking about.

The media, on the other hand, has not been very helpful in combating the enormous ignorance on the subject amongst most Malaysians - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - by not asking the right questions of our politicians.

Rather than asking politician X whether he or she agrees with the implementation of hudud or the Sharia', I feel that these reporters would be doing Malaysians greater service by asking whether politician X knows what hudud or the Sharia' is all about in the first place.

Rather than forcing someone to decide whether he or she approves of the implementation of hudud or the Sharia', I think these reporters should be questioning and gauging their subjects’ understanding of hudud or the Sharia'.

How can you decide whether you approve of a particular issue when you don't even have a clear idea what the issue is about? Indeed, how will you know that a particular medication is beneficial for you if all you have heard about it is how bitter the taste is?

I think for far too long, the issue of hudud or the Sharia' has been left hanging in the air with no one from both sides of the political divide making a genuine and sustained effort to educate, inform and enlighten the wider public on what they are all about.

I can see why it is politically profitable to allow the issue of hudud to be nebulous or deliberately leaving the matter not well-defined since that will allow anyone to mould, shape and distort the issue of hudud in any manner or form they wish.

It is precisely by leaving the matter hazy vis a vis the public that it retains it ideological malleability which could then be rendered to suit a myriad of political contingencies and objectives.

As long as the ball remains in the air, it could be kicked, pushed or shoved in any direction we wish; and this is how I would characterise the treatment of the issue of hudud or the Sharia' by our politicians thus far.

We have ceased to be responsible over the issue of hudud or the Sharia' by always shifting the duty of explaining the matter to others, whilst excusing ourselves from that task at the same time.

And I think it is a sad and pathetic commentary of the ability and courage of Muslims in this country to mobilise and present their religion in a manner that transcends the racial, religious and political divides that we also choose - willingly or not - in this deliberate obfuscation of the issue of hudud or the Sharia'.

If Muslims in Malaysia get upset whenever a non-Muslim makes a caustic remark with regards to Islam or the Sharia' or hudud, we should be asking ourselves whether we, too, are guilty for not checking the proliferation of such misconceptions through creative engagement and public dialogue.

Instead, we often choose the easy way out of such situations, either by demonising them, suing them or telling them to stay away from the issue since it only concerns the Muslims.

Do we really expect the non-Muslims to ‘wisen up’ on their understanding of Islam by scouring for books on Islamic jurispundence or Islamic history and reading it by themselves?

If that were to happen, I won't be surprised if there will be an outcry from the Muslims saying that non-Muslims have no right or have not the necessary background to understand sacred Islamic literature on their own.

But what are we Muslims doing in the meantime to help them understand Islam?

Do we simply sit back, imperiously telling them that they cannot use this word for God or they cannot read that particular book on Islam or that they cannot question this about Islam?

Can we really blame the non-Muslims if they find it more convenient to cling to weary stereotypes about us Muslims as reactionary, irrational and arrogant groups of people, rather than seeing their Muslim neighbours just like any other human being with cares, concerns, fears and worries?

I think the statement made by Lim Guan Eng with regards to the treatment of the hudud issue should serve as a reminder for us Muslims that if we choose to brazenly relinquish our duty in elaborating the matter now, someone else is bound to take it up and once that happens, we will lose our right to steer and guide the direction of the discourse on the subject.

The fact of the matter is that the hands of the Muslims in this country have been forced by a non-Muslim on the subject of hudud and the Sharia'.

DAP has signalled its willingness to discuss the hudud issue and their openness in listening and accepting our explanation on the subject. The ball is now in our court. The crucial question now is whether we will rise up to the challenge or not.