Dr Patricia Martinez has put on paper what many Muslims may be morally afraid to do: say it like it is. The discussion of al-Mawardi's views on the treatise of the principles of government (Kitab al- Ahkam al-Sultaniyya) is very helpful for an understanding of what we are getting into. These things are obviously there in the works if only Muslims care to read about it.

Even if we have a thing or two to say about Mawardi's approach, the fact that the Ministry of Information has accepted Mawardi's treatise as the vision for Malaysian Islamic state should give us room to ponder.

Muslims are so used to delegating Muslim affairs to the so-called "learned" and thus unwittingly or deservedly would allow themselves to be led meekly to slaughter.

I hope Muslims think again and again before levelling some lame accusations on the writer. Muslims whose knowledge of their own intellectual heritage are limited by not reading and researching on these matters should perhaps take some leads from here.