June 19, 2012
End Oppression against Shiites
by Ahmad Farouk Musa & Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, IRF
The Islamic Renaissance Front views the calls for the removal and ban of Shiite literature and material from the Islamic World Expo in Kota Bharu with grave concern.
We regard this as a continuation of the unnecessary and increased alienation, if not persecution, of our Shiite brothers and sisters that have been occurring for decades now.
It goes without saying that this also contradicts the very idea of having an expo that claims to be about the Islamic world. There is far more to the Islamic world than Sunni Islam, especially of the conservative kind that has dominated Malaysia.
In further response we reiterate the following:
- Shiite Islam has been a deep and enduring part of Malaysian and Nusantara history and thus should not be viewed as a faith tradition that is “alien” to us.
- A great deal of the animosity expressed towards Shiite Muslims is based on unfounded and uninformed suspicions.
- Many significant contributions to Islamic intellectual history were – and continue to be – made by Shiite Muslims, such as Ibn Sina, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Ali Shariati and Seyyed Hossein Nasr, among many others.
The Ummah faces more pressing problems that should be dealt with together – through inter and intra-faith cooperation – than to waste their energies over sectarian bickering.
It is indeed shameful that while Muslims are often the first to call for books to be banned and women to be policed, they have absolutely nothing to say about the state of the global economy or the deteriorating environment or the pressing and global need for multicultural harmony.
Instead more and more venom continue to be spewed over trivial matters
. More specifically, should PAS really want to be taken seriously as an alternative to the sorry state of Malaysian politics, it must demonstrate, in all seriousness and confidence, its commitment to pluralism and freedom.
It should not on the one hand present itself as a more moral force than UMMO while at the same time replicating some of UMNO’s insular and parochial policies. The polite term to describe that would be “inconsistency”, but many would not hesitate to simply call it flat out lying.
Based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
This has been the basic tenet of the Quran in matters concerning faith.To say that the act of banning Shiite literature was to preserve aqidah or creed only shows an inkling of how totalitarian PAS could become if they were to rule this country.
We therefore demand the immediate end of all persecution of Malaysian Shiites in the name of freedom of religion and conscience. They are as much members of the Muslim community as Sunnis.
The goal is to find a productive synergy towards working together to ensure a just world for all. This is the far more urgent and difficult task we face.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
The Shiites are generally smarter than the Sunnis by any measure. Their contributions to Islamic thought is immense. For example, the books and papers written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr of The George Washington University are widely read in Malaysia and elsewhere.
PAS by calling for the banning of books written by Shiite writers shows that like the leopard, it is unable to change its skin. Will someone from PAS who reads this blog please respond to my comments and the views expressed by the IRF representatives. –Din Merican
“PAS by calling for the banning of books written by Shiite writers shows that like the leopard, it is unable to change its skin.”
PAS has long lost its foreskin and you’re asking PAS to change its skin? How could PAS change what they don’t have??
It is not only PAS. All the so-called Sunnis ulamaks in Malaysia whether they are PAS, UMNO or whatever are united against Shiites.
They pride themselves as ‘ahli al-sunnah wal jamaah’ and have branded others as deviant. Even official sermons during Friday prayers are used to demonize the Shiites. If it is about faith; then it should be left to God; but then it is more about influence and power. Muslims against Muslims…. what else is new?
Dato Din,
Too difficult to fight Ignorance. The cleavage between the two Sects is too steeped, that they are prepared to slaughter each other, their families, kiths & kins, like what’s hapenning in Iraq, merely on the insidious motives of political Intreagues – HOW THEY DISTORT TRUTHS ( Of Religion ),
Now the Turmoil & upheavel in the Arab Spring, will Malaysia ‘ copy’ it ?
As a start, they are already suppressing the more Enlightened sect, by feeding the Malay ummah with the blinkered view by upholding ” Islam after a Fashion ” rather than with knowledge that can free them from Ignorance !
Tiada Berkat….no Grace…. and they who distort will have to answer eventually .
An important tenet that Shiiism clearly violates is the concept that God alone administers the affairs of this world and the Universe…And He alone knows the ‘unseen’…Shiites attributes these powers to their leaders, the ‘Imams’…and placed them in a position higher than the Prophets…?! God says: ” None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected” ( Qur’an 27:65 )
In authoritative Shiites text it states:
” The Imams have knowledge of the past and whatsoever will happen of the future…and nothing is concealed from them” ( Al-Kulaini pg.260 ).
There’re many aspects of faith and teaching in Shiism that oppose Islam and which render a person out of its fold…Due to this reason majority Moslems don’t consider Shiism to represent Islam…but rather believe it to contradict the very basics of Islamic teachings…
James, Shiism in its pristine approach in the path of ” Seeking ” does not violate, BUT as always its Man himself who does the violations & distorts or deviates from pristine messages….
These deviations happen to every Religion, because ” Man ” arrogates to himself that which does not belong to him, thereby pepertuating the Cult-system, whereby Followers deify the Leader…..there are ample warnings on this in the Holy Book.
The life & time of all the chosen Prophets from Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ up to Mhammad ( peace be upon all of these Chosen Elect ), not only in their teachings but in their daily Conduct relating to human affairs, they had always behaved and proclaimed themselves, as mere mortals….
Take away the so-called “ulemak” of both sects from the centre stage and I feel most, if not all, problems will disappear.
Shias have not suddenly appeared on the Islamic stage. They have lived side by side with their bretheren for centuries.
In the Middle East imbroglio, the ulemak have resorted to expediency in the face of political upheavals… and outsiders are taking full advantage of this. Muslims slaughtering each other and others watching.