The liberal threat

We hear the term “liberal threat” being bandied around all the time these days. But what does it really mean?

If you want to touch a dog, you’re considered a liberal threat.

If you are fluent in speaking English, you’re considered a liberal threat. If you have studied overseas and come back to Malaysia with grand ideas, you’re considered a liberal threat.

If you like to rationalise and use logic, you’re considered a liberal threat. If you want to debate and talk about issues in Islam, you’re considered a liberal threat.

And whom do these liberals threaten? Apparently, the ones feeling threatened by all this are all the other Malay Muslims in the country. The ones who aren’t liberal.

And how do we know they aren’t liberal? Well, I’m guessing its because they don’t want to touch dogs, don’t speak English fluently and never studied overseas.

But what it really boils down to is that they also don’t want to involve any thinking when it comes to faith. Because they feel that faith is something that you accept blindly.

To them, rationale or logic cannot ever be used to debate and discuss issues regarding Islam because that would mean you have no belief.

The Islam that is threatened by the liberals is a strict version of Islam that is not open to interpretation or discourse because what is officially sanctioned might just be changed.

Too many years have gone by in which the authorities have had control over what the people believe and fear. If this power gets out of their hands, they wouldn’t be relevant anymore.

It’s funny how the religion has digressed into such a form, because when it first started, consultation with the people was a key element in its jurisprudence.

When the term “shura” was initiated during the time of the caliphs, it consisted of not just the religious clerics and ulamas, but also ordinary members of society.

When decisions were made, it took all perspectives – from those who were truly learned in religion to those whose ordinary lives would actually be affected by the decisions.

But now, “shura” refers to a select few (selected by whom?) who make decisions seemingly based on what is considered easy to rule and govern.

Any Muslim who tries to contradict or even just bring in a different perspective to issues is labelled and accused of being against the religion.

One actually wonders if contradictions mean going against religion or just going against the decision makers. And of course, all this is termed the “liberal threat”.

What is sad is the fact that many Muslims have grown accustomed to or have been conditioned to think that only the religious elites are allowed to make decisions that affect society.

The method of ruling and governing through fear has actually succeeded and now every utterance by the religious elite is accepted like the word of God Himself.

Our elected leaders like to believe that we are a progressive and moderate Islamic model country. But why do they keep silent when everything starts going against this?

How do we call ourselves progressive when just a hint of questioning (not even full-out dissent) of any official decree gets condemned as though it came from the devil?

How do we call ourselves moderate when we cannot even respect our brothers and sisters who choose different paths for their faiths, and when pluralism is a term worse than fornication?

How different are we compared to the extremists from other parts of the world (whom we condemn, by the way) who prosecute others of different religions through violence?

We are already confiscating and threatening to destroy holy books. Thinking of what the natural progression could be from this stage gives me the shivers.

Is this the Islam that we believe in? Is this the Islam that is the religion for all time? Is this the religion of peace? Or is this a religion that has been hijacked and manipulated? – October 31, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.